my yellow umbrella

Homemade Lotion Bars and Lip Balm

2012-02-07T00:47:00.000-06:00

Hello, friends! The good news is we survived Monday. The bad news is we have four days to go (unless you love your job, in which case you're probably peachy right about now). I do love my day job, but I also love my weekends. It's my time to really focus on projects, get things accomplished and cross things off of my ever-growing to-do list (this is self-inflicted, though).

This weekend, I made my own lotion bars and lip balm! The lotion bars were inspired by this blog, which I encourage you to visit. Her post is pretty compelling on why you should think twice about what's in store-bought lotions.

I tweaked her recipe just a bit and went with canola oil instead of vegetable oil. I used bergamot essential oil because I LOVE the smell of bergamot. It reminds me of a nice cup of hot earl grey tea, so it brings a slight smile to my face every time I use the lotion bars!

What You Need:

Beeswax (I picked mine up at Hobby Lobby since it was convenient and I had a 40% off coupon, which made it $8.99 for the 1-lb. block)
Vegetable shortening
Canola oil
Essential oil, of your choice (this is optional, but you can really customize these to your liking with just a few drops of essential oils)
Form/mold (I used a soap mold, also from HL, as it was also on sale, but you could use really anything you want. Try a silicone pan/mold for some fun shapes!)

What You Do:

Melt a 1:1:1 ratio of all three ingredients (you're going to add the essential oils at the end, if you're using them) in a double boiler or a small pan inside of a larger pan of boiling water. (NOTE: I did try to melt these together in my microwave, but the beeswax started sparking. Apparently this will happen in some microwaves and will be fine in others, so be careful if you try this!)

Once everything is melted together, stir well, remove from heat and add your essential oils. I used around 25 drops of bergamot for 4 bars. Pay attention to any directions that come with your mold...for example, mine specifically noted that anything above 150 degrees could melt the mold. Since my mixture was closer to 165 degrees, I let it cool in the pan on my counter before pouring it into the mold. Nothing would be worse than pouring your mixture into the mold, just to watch the mold melt away! If you're using silicone, you shouldn't have to worry about this. :)

Once the bars have cooled, pop them out of your mold and enjoy!

To use, rub them between your hands and your body heat will soften the bar enough for you to get what you need. It WILL be extremely oily at first, but it WILL soak in after a couple of minutes. The air in our house has been extremely dry lately (thanks, winter), which wreaks havoc on our skin. That's probably the top "problem" I hear about from Cowboy, so to say these have been a hit would be an understatement. Not only do they smell good, but I've found that once it soaks into your skin, it sort of leaves a super-soft, non-waxy protective layer that doesn't wash off with water (like, if you're washing your hands) like lotion would. I'm pretty much obsessed with these things! I even mailed one to my brother today because his hands have been on the verge of cracking open (sorry for the mental picture) every winter for as long as I've known him (i.e. since the day he was born). Mom--shhh, don't tell Jason! :)

You could fancy these up lots of different ways--different molds/shapes, some food/icing coloring, some smaller shapes you could add to the top (like a tiny heart on top of a big heart of a leaf on top of a more plain bar, like mine)...and of course add your own favorite scents. Make them your own!

While I had the beeswax out, I thought I would also make my own lip balm. I just needed to find something awesome to keep the balm in. Then I remembered these adorable tiny jars I picked up at a Goodwill in Kansas City a couple of years ago. I thought they were the cutest little jars I'd ever seen, but never really had a great use for them...until now!

I paid a whopping 29 cents for each one. Score!

For this mixture, I used beeswax, olive oil and essential oil (again, bergamot)

Using the same method, melt together a 1:1 ratio of beeswax and olive oil (you really could use any oil you want, but olive oil is awesome for your skin. I think I might add in some coconut oil next time, too!), stir in your essential oil (I used 2-3 drops per jar) and pour into a container of your choice!

Voilá! Now you have two items to make from scratch that won't take a lot of time or money and you'll managed to have remove even more chemicals and other yucky stuff from your home and your daily routine.

Enjoy!

Our Wedding Video

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, friends!

I'm happy to report that our wedding video is finished. :) :) :)

We were more than happy with how everything turned out (and for their amazing prices in the professional video world!), so if you're in the Wichita area and need a videographer, Craig and Mary Beebe of Brickhouse Studios should be your first pick!

Alina + Jonathan from craig beebe on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend!

Making Ordinary Unique (+DIY Chalk Paint)

2012-02-02T20:15:00.001-06:00

Happy almost-Friday, people!!!

Remember that metal box/side table I told you I'd found at Goodwill for $10 in the house tour? Well, like I mentioned then, I'd been toying with the idea of painting some matte stripes or stenciling it with a pattern. Since my original stencil experience, I've been harboring ill feelings toward anything stencil-related (the process itself, not the outcome...I think stenciled walls and furniture and pillows...etc...are BEAUTIFUL), so, I went with a simple, Alina-capable stripe. :)

Here it is before:

And here it is after!

Just using painter's tape, I made 1.25-inch vertical stripes. I did the sides first and then moved to the top. Since I wasn't planning on priming it (I wanted it to still feel smooth, so I didn't want the paint stripes to be too thick), I did lightly sand my paint area with a sanding block, wiped it down and then painted it.

I wanted a super matte look to balance out the shininess of the metal, so I made my own chalk paint! I picked up a box of dry Plaster of Paris and a paint sample of Valspar's Tuxedo Tie. (If you clicked the link, you can see it's a deep charcoal color. I've been on a charcoal kick lately!) I mixed one part Plaster of Paris to three parts paint and stirred really well so that everything in the bottom was mixed in (I mixed it in a clear plastic cup so that I could see it). Since I was working on this over a couple of evenings, I kept my paint/paintbrush covered in the fridge between painting sessions so that I wouldn't have to rinse my brush out every time (and the paint won't dry on your brush). One time Pinterest told me to try this, so I did and it really works! :)

I kind of liked it before for its uniqueness and functionality, but now I REALLY love it!

Here's a straight-on shot of the top, too.

I paid $10 for the box at Goodwill, $6.48 for a 4-lb box of Plaster of Paris (and I only used a couple of tablespoons, so I have enough left to last me for a very long time!), and $2.94 for the paint sample (and, again, I barely used any), so total up-front cost comes to less than $20 for a unique side table and place for storage! I'm thinking some of our not-pretty and rarely-used books may go in there since there's not enough room on the bookshelf!

Have you guys taken anything kind of cool and made it your own? A plain chair that went colorful? Furniture that you rehabbed? Share your stories!

And have a great Friday tomorrow!

House Tour (Finally!)

2012-01-28T14:39:00.000-06:00

Oh me, oh my...I've been promising a tour of the new house since...um...October. Then I was kidnapped...by...a wedding beast, but better late than never, right?

For any new readers, let me break this down. I met my (now) husband (we call him Cowboy around here) in December of 2010. You can read the story of our first date here. Less than six months later, he proposed. He moved away from Kansas City the following month, in June, for his third year med school rotations and I followed him here in October. Then we married and honeymooned last month (December). Now we're just trying to adjust to the swing of things in "real life" and trying to figure out how to be a wife and a husband. Needless to say, things haven't settled down in the slightest!

So, finally, I bring you a tour of our first home together! We're only renting since we're only here for 18 mos., so we can't do much to change the walls or anything. Fortunately, our landlord happens to rock and also happens to be a professional (house) painter, so this 1950s ranch is in tip-top shape!

You'll notice a lot of the same things from my apartment tour, so if you want more information on those projects, hop on over there!

I want to preface this tour with two items: 1) I'm still trying to learn this camera, so I'm only allowing myself to shoot in manual mode (hoping I will learn more/faster!). I shot most of these pictures yesterday in the late afternoon when it was cloudy, so the house was a bit dark. I had some trouble compensating for the darkness without overexposing shots backlit by windows...plus, some of them came out grainy, so if you have any tips for this newbie, PLEASE send them over! 2) While I feel we have a great foundation laid, I do feel the house is a bit bare. There's not a lot on the walls yet and there's a couple of places missing furniture (which...sometimes less is more, I know), so I've also outlined any projects I have planned for each room!

So, without further ado...

Front

(Spring, come quickly, please!)

Main project for the front porch is outdoor pillows. Cowboy's brother MADE us an awesome porch swing as a wedding gift, so I'd like to liven things up a bit so that it's more inviting once the weather warms up!

Entry Way/Living Room

Main projects in the living room include hanging pictures/art on the walls (maybe a gallery on the wall behind the open front door?) and to give the side table/box (pictured above) a little makeover. I found it at Goodwill for 10 bucks and it's the perfect size for a side table + extra storage! It's a bit beat up with some scratches and dents, but you know I love those! It's actually a shiny silver, though the picture doesn't quite do it justice. I'm thinking a fun stencil or maybe some matte stripes to break up the shininess and give it some visual interest. What do you guys think?

Dining Room

The dining room is the one that feels empty to me and I definitely have some projects planned for this room! First and foremost, I'm going to strip the table. Yeah, I know I'm the one who painted it black (and it looked AWESOME in my all-white apartment), but there are SO many layers of paint on that thing...I'm nearly dying to see what the wood underneath looks like! I will strip/stain the top and probably paint the legs and chairs a different color (not sure what yet). I'm also looking for a killer buffet/sideboard to fill up that left wall and display/hold all of our nice dishes. Again, nothing hanging on the walls, but I do want to wait until I have furniture figured out before I start a war with these plaster walls (yeah, this is also a reason we don't have a lot hung yet...I hate these plaster walls!).

Kitchen

This is a pretty neutral room, thanks to the landlord. Apparently everything that's brown now (all of the trim, the doors, the cabinets, etc.) was a country blue. YIKES. He also just re-tiled the countertops and installed a brand new stove/oven, so we got a pretty sweet (neutral-colored) deal. I don't have anything specifically planned for this room as we actually have hung stuff and I've made café curtains for all of the windows (too bad my windows are overexposed and you can't even see the curtains! haha!).

Laundry Room

This is where my apology for grainy pictures definitely becomes necessary. I did make new curtains for the side door and hung the anchor/umbrella hooks (sidenote: aren't those awesome? It's like our version of his and hers hooks. He's in the navy and well, I think you can figure out why the umbrella represents me. :), so I don't have a whole lot planned for this little room!

Master Bedroom

Mainly, I just want to hang something above the bed. I haven't been inspired by anything specifically yet, so stay posted. :)

Hallway

Just a little fun shot of what's hanging in the hallway since anything hanging is obviously a big deal at this point! I hung a banner I made for the wedding from Cowboy's framed "poems"--one from right after our first date and his proposal poem (see more on that here). The other is a retro poster we picked up in the Smoky Mountains on our honeymoon (we stopped at that church in Smoky Mountain National Park).

(BLUE) Bathroom

I hope you like turquoise! YES, that is the original 1950s tile/bathroom. We even have the gold-flecked countertop! The landlord told us he thought the tile was in such good shape, that he would just paint to match! HA! Oh well, I love color, so I won't complain too much. I've already made a faux roman shade for the window using some cheap mini blinds, so now I really just want to hang something over the towel rod.

Office/Guest Bedroom

Once again, nothing hanging on the walls! (Are you sick of hearing me say that yet?) We also need a rug for this room. I wasn't so much feeling the clutter since I have to spend my entire workday/work week back there, so we actually re-arranged things last night!

Ah! So much better! Just need a rug to cozy up and sound-proof the room a bit.

By the way, those rolling drawers under the desk are actually just stacking metal boxes I found at The Yard a few months ago for only $2.99! We picked up some casters while we were there, screwed them into the bottom and now we have a place to hide all of the junk that will slide under the desk and look awesomely industrial. Definitely worth our $10.

So that's our home! I'm also adding this to the The Tour page, on top of the apartment tour, so you can easily access it later.

P.S. MYU flew past 300 followers this week! Thank you all so, so much for your continued support, whether you subscribe through Google Friend Connect, e-mail or RSS reader...I know there are nearly a thousand of you total, which is crazy and exciting to me. You guys rock. :)

Top Three Things I've Gained from Pinterest

2012-01-27T00:03:00.001-06:00

What was life like before Pinterest? Dark? Lonely? Lacking in color?

I'm only kidding. Sort of.

I will say, though, that the world of Pinterest has connected me with other bloggers and projects and ideas I never would have otherwise known. There are some, however, that stand out more than others. So, I thought I'd round up my top three because, in my opinion, these are worth sharing.

1. Going 'Poo-Free'

Yep. Weird, I know. Sounds weird if you don't know what that is already...and maybe it sounds weird if you do know what it is already.

Now, I know and am prepared for you to judge me. That's OK. But before I delve into this one, please let me defend myself on one important fact: I am not a granola-crunching, Birkenstock-wearing, save-the-environment, will-do-anything-in-the-name-of-healthy kind of person. Well, I do care about the environment and being healthy but I'm not an extremist by any means.

So, let's carry on, shall we?

A few months ago, I was surfing around on the main page of Pinterest, looking at stuff people I don't know had pinned. And I saw the words 'Poo-Free'. Um, what the heck? I thought. So I clicked on it. A skeptic, I started reading about this lady who started using baking soda and vinegar in place of her store-bought shampoo and vinegar. What a weirdy...I thought. And then I got to the reasons WHY she did it. I'll re-cap, but please read her blog for the full why and how-to.

The three reasons she (her blog is simplemom.net, btw) lists:

Shampoo is a detergent
Shampoo has all sorts of chemicals (um--read this if you want to know what kind of chemicals)
Shampoo is an unnecessary cost

Then I read this one.

And then I read this one. I had just been thinking, vinegar? Stinky! when I read her recipe of a teaspoon of vanilla, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon to mask the vinegar smell. (P.S. This smells AWESOME.)

Well...those got me thinking. I have crazy oily hair...always have. And I lose approximately 28% of my hair down the drain every.single.time. For a girl with thin hair, this is NOT cool.

So I casually brought it up in conversation with Cowboy. Would he think I was crazy? Or weird and extreme? Or would he call off the wedding?

I'm only joking...sort of. So I sauntered through a conversation, throwing in the idea, moving on, then circling back to wonder aloud what he thought of the idea. He really did.not.care.

So there I was, a month before the wedding. And I did it. And do you want to know what? I'm a believer...100%. Here's why:

It is CHEAP. I just bought a big box of baking soda for 56 cents. At a tablespoon per use, do you know how long that 56 cents is going to last me?
It's baking soda. If it's healthy enough to be in my food (err...cookies), it will do zero harm to my skin or hair. Picture it (uh, or don't)...your skin is wet, ready to soak in anything you give it. Hey, want to throw some laundry detergent on your head? Of course not! So why would you?
Speaking of skin--this one took me by surprise. Since I started running regularly a few years ago, I've gone through the worst break-outs on my shoulders and chest (sorry, tmi). When I started half-marathon and full-marathon training, you KNOW all hell broke loose. I would shower as soon as possible to get the grime off, but apparently, the shampoo was only agitating it more. When I switched to baking soda/vinegar, the break-outs stopped completely. NOT kidding.
My hair is was painlessly limp, flat and thin. Now? Not at all. It has a certain healthy body to it. I can't explain it, but it's like my hair was depressed by shampoo (regardless of brand...you name it, I've tried it!) and then when I took it away, it threw a party and started doing whatever I wanted it to.
Want more proof? So I wouldn't have to mess with it when we went on our honeymoon (uh, baking soda + squeeze bottles of water + vinegar + carry on = no thank you), I packed travel sized bottles of regular shampoo and conditioner. Big mistake. I literally undid everything. My hair freaked out and stayed freakishly close to my head, I was attacked by a static monster, and my skin went on strike in form of major break-outs. You know I kissed the baking soda when I got home.

If you want more info, let me know, but I think the three blogs I linked to above will do more to answer your questions than I ever could.

2. DIY Pore Strips

Also beauty-routine-related, this one has absolutely nothing to do with chemicals and everything to do with budget. You know those pore deep-cleansing strips? You know...the ones you pay $18 for 10 chances to rip the skin on your nose off?

Yeah...I happen to (much to my bank account's and nose's demise) love those.

So when I saw that you could make your own pore cleansing mask (read: not just your nose!) for a few cents, I ran to the store like a mad woman looking for unflavored gelatin. One package of unflavored gelatin + a tablespoon or 2 of milk + a few seconds in the microwave. That's all. Read the original post here.

3. Homemade Greek Yogurt

OK, so I, like many of you, really like the idea of eating natural, non-processed foods...no fillers, no preservatives, no fake sugar. I REALLY like that idea...and more often than not, I try to hold our meals to these standards. You feel better when you eat healthy...you just do. Better enough that the thought of fast food makes my stomach churn. But, there's a certain cost to eating healthy. And we all know, as exhibited by Whole Foods scheme to take the economy down one kale leaf at a time, that organic is usually better...but WAY more expensive.

So when I saw this tutorial/recipe for homemade greek yogurt, I thought, you can DO that?! So I read through the directions. Meh...seemed like a lot of work to me, but thoughts of no preservatives and half-priced greek yogurt conned me into trying it. Turns out, it was actually the number of steps that had conned me. It is SUPER easy, you guys! Actual hands-on time is very minimal. I've done it both in a crock pot and in the oven. That means greek yogurt for the cost of a half-gallon of milk (so, usually half of what a container of store-bought greek yogurt would cost), and NO preservatives, fake sugars or fake "fruit"!

And then sometimes the stars align and this happens:

Yep...I made a batch of greek yogurt for 50 cents that week.
So what about you guys? What kind of tutorials/recipes/ideas/blogs has Pinterest introduced to you that has pretty much blown your mind and changed your world?

How To: Faux Metal Wall Letters

2012-01-17T01:07:00.000-06:00

Hello, friends!

I'm happy to report several things:

1. Most all leftover wedding items and post-wedding move-in (for the groom) is taken care of put away (uhh...the stuff all over the garage doesn't count, right?!)...or I'm just used to seeing things in the places they now reside. This means more time for more projects and focusing on making this little house a lovely first home for us.

2. Our small group from church met at our house last week...which prompted most of #1.

3. Our WEDDING PHOTOS ARE BACK!!!!! Meaning, you, my lovely friends, are going to start seeing lots of wedding-related tutorials, just in time for those of you planning a wedding for this spring/summer. Lots of ideas coming your way! If you're interested in another sneak peak, see our photographer's blog. (Yes, you want to see this.)

Ahem, anyway, back to the post for today. Since I've recently found myself "void" of projects (no, that's not really true. My brain is ALWAYS thinking of new projects.), I thought I'd tackle one wall of my kitchen. I had seen these done several different ways (and have done them a different way, in fact, for a bridesmaid gift) like painted silver to look like metal or like Restoration Hardware knock-offs, but I wanted to do mine just slightly different (and original--to me, at least).

Here is my end result!

I started with three paper maché letters from JoAnn's (that just happened to be 30% off for $2 each)...then I started roaming around the store and landed in the scrapbooking aisle, where I found this awesome pressed/textured paper (which also happened to be 30% off for $.69 each). Seriously, you guys...this paper rocks. It's a shimmery, metallic-y gold that has the greatest texture pressed into it. It looks like sheets of patterned metal, like this. I really think angels sang when I saw it and held it up to my paper maché letters. (Don't you love when you get inspired and a project just comes together??)

I flipped it over and traced my letter, leaving enough excess to wrap the sides with. If I didn't have enough to wrap the sides entirely (like between the horizontal parts of the "E", I just mod podged another section underneath and then applied the main piece over it, mod podging everything down to be nice and seamless. (Just in case you are confused by the orientation of the paper in the below picture, my E looks "correct," even though it should look backward, because it's upside down. You want to turn your letter over so that you're tracing a pattern for the front--which might look backward. All of my letters just happened to be symmetrical.)

After mod podging everything down (just underneath. I did not apply another layer on top as I didn't want my pattern to look dulled) I let everything dry last night and this is what I had this morning!

Seriously, you guys...I know I keep saying this, but LOOK at the TEXTURE!

(See above for how I wrapped the corners in places where they were least likely to be noticed, like on the bottom of the A.)

As for how I hung them: they're super light, so I shot an upholstery staple into the back and stuck a piece of painter's tape at the bottom to keep it from sliding around (i.e. becoming unlevel...that would never go unnoticed in my house) or getting knocked off of the wall. Pretty professional, eh? ;)

Fills the little space perfectly, just like I was hoping. I actually originally intended on spray-painting these another color--like metallic silver or maybe even an eye-grabbing red, but the more I worked on these, the more the gold grew on me. So, I'll leave them gold for now and we'll see what color they end up after some time.

Total cost: $8.04!

Also, an update on my 2012 goals. I'm three yoga classes in and loving it. It's amazing how relaxed I feel right after class (and how sore I am the next morning!). Second, I'm well into my quilt-planning and material purchasing. I've designed my pattern, I'm waiting on some fabric samples to arrive (who knew charcoal-colored broadcloth would be so hard to find?) and I went ahead and purchased my batting while JoAnn's had it for 50% off this week. Once I decide on a fabric, I just need to purchase it, start cutting pieces, piece it together, baste, quilt it and bind it...ha! No big deal, right?

How To: Make a Custom Camera Bag

2012-01-11T23:56:00.000-06:00

Around three months ago, my new (photographer) sister, Nicole, pinned the below camera bag on Pinterest. With the addition of our new camera, I started considering camera bags. I already knew I didn't want something generic...and that got my wheels turning. I knew Nicole had a birthday coming up, so I started communicating behind the scenes with her husband (Jacob, Cowboy's brother) about what kind of bag she had. Upon finding out it was something generic she had owned for awhile (and something he actually thought might be too small now), my random idea quickly became this exciting project!

(A note to Nicole: I actually had NO idea the below bag was a camera bag until AFTER I had been talking to Jacob about making you one...finding out it was a camera bag you had pinned made this all the sweeter!)

After finding out some deets regarding Nicole's camera equipment and doing some research on her Pinterest page, we (yes, I had Cowboy's full cooperation for the entire process...what a guy) set off to find the "perfect" bag.

This is the original bag that Nicole pinned:

This is the bag Nicole ended up with! (Yeah, I know my photography pales in comparison...but my bag doesn't!) ;)

The bag that Nicole pinned comes with a steep price tag of $309. It IS real leather, yes...but you could still buy a leather bag for much less than that and make your own inserts (can I get an amen?)!

So whether you're using an inexpensive bag or a real leather (pricier...but nicer) bag, I'm here to show you how I made custom inserts that turn a regular bag/purse into a camera bag!

Because I was looking for a specific type, size and style of bag, it took a bit of searching. But finally, seven stores later and just minutes before calling it a day, Cowboy found a near-perfect knock-off. It even had the same pocket on the front of the bag! Only problem? It had a divider/pocket down the middle. But, upon further examination, I realized I could rip the seams open, remove the divider and sew it all back together.

Even better? The clearance price tag. (Actually, we did look first and foremost for a leather bag...but nothing existed within our price range...and I didn't know how much she ACTUALLY loved the bag she pinned!) I was OK with buying a more inexpensive bag knowing that the inserts could be removed and placed in another bag should, a) she become tired of/not like the bag, or b) the bag gets worn out because she loves it so much. ;)

So, we brought it home, I ripped the seams open, pulled out the dividing pocket and used a blind stitch to close it back up. (Meanwhile, watching Beauty and the Beast...one of my Christmas presents from the Mr. since it's out of the vault right now!)

And voila! A wide-open bag, ready for a custom insert.

OK, so here's what you'll need:

Bag, of your choosing. Just make sure it has a square/rectangular base. It needs to sit squarely and solidly--and it will be much easier to make a base for your insert if there is a flat bottom (and, how many people want their camera bag slumping or falling over?)
Velcro--I bought iron-on, but I actually ended up sewing it after I ironed it for some extra durability. I did like, however, that it stayed in place after I ironed it. That way, I didn't have to worry about anything shifting while sewing it on! One package was enough for one bag.
Fabric--this depends entirely on the size of your bag and inserts! I almost always default to buying a yard if it's a project like this...and I almost always end up with extra, but I'd rather have the "too much" problem than have to run to the store again mid-project! (Also, a yard was enough for me to make inserts for two completely separate bags.)
Headliner fabric. This is the fabric on the inside roof of your car. I figured if it was good enough for my noggin, it was good enough for our cameras! (Yep...I made an insert for one of my bags too.) However much fabric you buy, it might be a good idea to double that amount in headliner fabric because you're going to double wrap each insert piece. However, it does come on a wider bolt, so take that into consideration when deciding on yardage. (I found mine at JoAnn's.)
Plastic canvas. This will make up the framework of your insert. Once you have your bag, it should be easy to determine how much of this you will need. I bought several sheets for 59 cents apiece at JoAnn's.

Now, to make the insert:

1. Cut out pieces of plastic canvas. You'll need to make one for the bottom and one for each of the four sides. Make these pieces slightly smaller than you think you'll need since you'll be adding padding, fabric and velcro (oh, and camera equipment). You don't want things to be too crowded in there! I found that a good rule of thumb was to have the pieces be a couple of rows short of touching. Close, but not too close.
2. Double-wrap the individual pieces in headliner fabric. Sew them closed...it doesn't have to be pretty, you just want everything to stay nice and tight since you'll be shoving these into tiny little fabric pockets. :) I actually ran my stitch through the top row of the plastic canvas, too, so that nothing would turn or shift around.

This is what everything should look like once it's all wrapped and sewn closed! (Imagine the four outside pieces standing up and it makes a rectangular box.)

3. Sew the fabric pockets for the inserts. This part is a little bit harder to explain and you could do this various ways. Turning my fabric together (good sides facing each other), I traced the bottom and two side pieces (those that run long-ways with the bottom) onto the back of the fabric with a piece of chalk.

Sew together three sides like you would a pillow, then turn everything right side out. Make sure that the three inserts have enough room inside, but still fit snugly, then trace the two sides of the bottom (middle) piece. You're going to run a seam here, making three pockets--one for each insert.

After making a seam down each chalk line, place your velcro along the two sides. I chose to have one piece running down the entire inside so that inserts could be moved wherever. (Also, I sewed the "soft" portion of velcro here so she wouldn't have to worry about the "sticky" part of the velcro scratching her equipment.) Now you're ready to put the inserts into their pockets. This should fit like a snug pillow case--you don't want loose fabric! Close up the open end with a blind stitch.

Finally, for each end piece and subsequent divider (I designed these inserts so that the end pieces were separate for a reason--first, it makes the insert a bit more versatile for other bags and, second, these end pieces can now be used as additional dividers), you'll...

a. Sew the top, bottom and left side of your fabric together, leaving the right side open. Turn it right side out. Double-check that the insert fits snugly before proceeding!
b. Figure out where you want your velcro placed, iron it on.

c. Sew a seam just to the right of the velcro at the closed end...this will make a fabric "tab" and keep your insert from sliding over under the velcro (and if it doesn't make sense now, it will by the end).
d. Slide the insert in, bumping it up right next to seam you just made and sew another seam on the right side of the insert, essentially closing it in.
e. Now blind stitch it closed!

f. I mentioned above that I sewed my velcro on, even after ironing it, for some added durability. This is the back side of the fabric "tab," so you can see how I sewed it on.

g. Repeat until you have as many inserts as your heart desires and your camera equipment calls for! As you can see below, I made two small dividers and one long one for Nicole's bag, to give her some variety and options (the long one can be looped in a circle (as pictured), snaked like an 'S', zig-zagged between lenses, etc...the short ones can be turned horizontally to make a second row, etc. etc. etc...)

And soon enough, you'll have a custom insert that really only cost you time. In classic Alina style, I have to give you the breakdown...

Original bag: $309

Nicole's bag: under $40 (+ about a week's worth of evenings spent designing and creating, haha!)

So, now you can spend some time making a custom camera bag insert (for any bag you want! The possibilities are endless!) so that you can spend your dollars on new camera equipment!

Much love, friends!

2012 Goals and a Free Printable

2012-01-07T11:44:00.000-06:00

Good morning, loves!

I have great news...are you ready? It's Saturday!!! One of my favorite times of the week is waking up on Saturday morning with plenty of time to spare (you know...around 9:00 or so...we're not talking early here, people). There's something about having an entire day open and free to accomplish and tackle projects, take day trips, go to the gym...whatever your heart desires and the day can handle! The day is simply full of optimism and promise at that point.

So, on this optimistic Saturday morning, I thought I would share some of my goals for 2012. I'm not a big fan of setting resolutions because I think you should make necessary changes asap...not wait for the beginning of the year. However, I am a very goal-oriented person. There are things (for myself) that I've pushed off until "after the wedding" (do you know how many times I've said those words in the last six months?). So, here we are..."after the wedding"...and I thought it would be a perfect time to start myself with some fun goals.

So here we go:

Make a quilt: two of my great-grandmas were quilters. One on my mom's side and one on my dad's side. I, very luckily, ended up with a quilt that great grandma "Y" made and it covers the bed in our guest bedroom. She has since passed (when I was little), but my great grandma Ruth (mom's side) is still here. Mostly, I remember being at her little apartment when we would make trips back home to Texas to see family. I remember her making bean soup (and letting me put as much salt as I wanted in them...isn't that a weird memory? I have no idea why this was a big deal to me...although I'm sure I was just flexing my independence from mom's watchful eye, haha! I ate some verrryyy salty beans at her house). I also remember her quilting. I remember the frame in the back bedroom that could pretty much stretch across the whole room as she would be in the middle of hand-stitching one of her quilts. She doesn't quilt anymore...but that's because she's 94! She was extremely talented and her work was exquisite. So, in memory and ode to my great-grandmas, I want to make a quilt. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is the one.
Make my own cleaning projects: This is one of those things I've simply been keeping front-of-mind to accomplish for quite some time. So, now that I've written it down (I'm an OCD list-maker), it will happen! Not only will this save money, but it will also rid our home of some harsh chemicals.
Take a yoga class: again, this is one of those things that I've been wanting to do, but just keeps getting pushed aside. This is the year of yoga! As a previous marathon runner, I'm looking forward to working up a sweat and getting a good workout without beating my body up.
Learn my camera: (more on this below)
Make a piece of clothing (for myself): I specified because I've made clothing before. In fact, I made our flower girl dresses. But I've never made a piece of clothing for myself. I haven't been specifically inspired by anything as of yet, but it's only January 7. And accessories (like scarves, bags, etc.) don't count because I've made those too.

Now, for the camera. After returning duplicate wedding gifts, adding up all of our Target gift cards and redeeming a 10% off coupon Target sent us for remaining registry items, the Mr. and I came home with this:

Yep...a Canon EOS Rebel T2i. It's like a dream come true. Seriously...I've been eyeing this camera for a very long time. I did in fact put it on our registry, if you caught that a minute ago, in hopes that someone would decide to be super duper uber generous to us (well, people WERE generous...but an $800 camera would have taken the cake on generous, if you know what I mean). BUT it ended up working out perfectly; in classic Alina fashion, we ended up getting it for $625 with an in-store sale + 10% off coupon. That also just happened to be almost exactly what we had in gift cards, so we walked out with this baby for freeeeee!!! A BIG thank you to everyone who gave us Target gift cards!

So, I want to get to know my camera. I spent an evening watching YouTube videos on ISO, aperture and shutter speed, so I'm happy to say I now know how to work my camera in manual mode...but that doesn't mean I quite have a feel for which settings are best in which situation. For now, I can use Canon's pre-set modes while I dabble in manual, but I'd like to have a MUCH better understanding by the end of the year. Like, as in I could explain it to someone else with confidence.

Finally, I do have one more goal. It's always been my goal to see all 50 states before I turn 25, which seemed really easy and reasonable at the age of 18, when I set the goal. Now, I only have a little over a year and a half left! Ack! I only have 20 states left, but that includes Hawaii and Alaska...so, wish me luck.

I mentioned above that I'm an OCD list-maker. Seriously...I would live and die by my lists. There's something about finishing an item and being able to cross it off. I'm just like my step-mom in that if I accomplish something that wasn't on "the list," I will actually physically add it to the bottom of the list, just so I can cross it off! Crazy, I know.

I like to do the same thing with states. I've had various maps printed out since I set this goal so that I could cross off states as I accomplished them, but I decided to make one I could hang on the wall to display. I found a printable map here and tweaked it a bit to make it my own. I put it in an 8x10 frame (so it should print nearly perfect for an 8x10 frame...let me know if it doesn't) and colored in the states I've been to with a dry erase marker. You could color in the states on the paper itself, but let's face it...dry erase markers are way more fun.

So, for the first ever MYU free printable, I thought I would share it, both as a thank you and as an encouragement to travel and try something new this year. Click HERE or the picture below to download!

Please only download/print these for personal use--please and thank you!

Enjoy your Saturday, friends!

Smoky Mountain Honeymoon

2012-01-04T17:39:00.002-06:00

This was the view from the bed. Um, awesome to wake up to!

Outside of our cabin in Sevierville, TN...and my smokin' hot husband (sorry)

This picture was actually meant to show how steep the drop-off was behind our driveway. It did not succeed, but you can see a bit of how high we were and our view!

Christmas "village"

We antiqued.

We went sight-seeing.

One morning, we woke up to this...I took this from inside of the cabin's loft. Seriously amazing!

We went horseback riding. (See?? He IS a cowboy...)

We went ziplining.

We went hiking.

We did some more sightseeing.

We did some (a lot of) eating. (And we got a free dessert for being newlyweds.) :)

We went zorbing. (See below video if you don't know what that is!)

Zorbing in the Smoky Mountains from Alina Strain on Vimeo.

We did some more eating.

Some more antiquing.

Some shopping (@ Mast General Store in Knoxville).

And some flying.

Basically, we came, we saw, we did and we loved it all. Easily the best week of my life; not because of anything we did necessarily, but because I had an entire week of the Mr. all to myself with zero distractions, zero stresses, zero work/school, zero to-do lists...just one solid (almost) week of pure, simple quality time. This week, "real" life started again. It's certainly an adjustment as I start working again (which means I'm at home alone) and he's started his neurology rotation (...which means I'm at home alone for 10-12+ hours a day...), but we'll get into a routine, I'll make new friends and rekindle old friendships in this new-old city, and we'll figure out the ebb and flow of life and marriage. Today, I chose to have an attitude of gratefulness (yesterday was a rough one) and expectancy. My love, in his honest love for me, reminded me that God has a plan in all of the struggles and that I needed to suck it up. He is right. My attitude is purely what it is by my own control, so this morning, I hit a "reset" button and determined to refocus, choose a better attitude and go to God first for strength (that's not my husband's job either).

Whew. Didn't see all that coming...so to end on a happy note, we got some teaser pics from our photographer! :) :) :) Visit her at Jackie Cooper Photo.

We're Back, But We're Still On Our Honeymoon...

2011-12-29T02:43:00.001-06:00

Hello, loves!

We did it. We tied the knot, we got hitched, we said our "I Do's"!

And it was the best wedding day we ever could have asked for. Ever. And I mean it. 50+ degree day in December with clear skies, no wind, no icy roads, no hiccups...nothing but pure bliss! I loved every minute of it. Since we created, designed, and built nearly everything ourselves, I can't wait to show you every detail of DIY that went into the perfect day. However...you've figured out by my lack of posting lately that we've been busy, busy, busy! Too busy to take pictures to blog about said projects. SO--my wonderful friend and sole wedding photographer, Jackie Cooper of Jackie Cooper Photo made it a point to take as many detail shots as she could muster. Once we get wedding photos back (which will be by January 14, at the latest!), you betcha we'll be getting the play-by-play on! I can't WAIT to share all of the details.

Sigh. After our [perfect] wedding day, we honeymooned in the Smoky Mountains (more on that later). We came home in time for Christmas with [both of our new] families, and we have this week off, too.

We're...

Hanging out with Cooper (he stayed with his grandma and grandpa while we were gone)

Enjoying our Christmas tree...

{Sidenote: this was a wedding gift! I'd been seeing the wedding invite ornaments floating around Pinterest and had every intention in making one...until someone did me better and made one for us! I LOVE these types of gifts!}

{Second sidenote: Beki at The Rusted Chain makes these ornaments. My mom gave it to us for Christmas earlier this month. It's the perfect blend of handmade, lovely and rustic--just like our wedding!}

{Third and final sidenote: this was part of someone's wrapping for another of our wedding gifts. It became an ornament as soon as we opened the gift! So many talented and creative people around me...who I definitely need to get to know better.}

Still hanging out with Cooper...who's getting a bit of shut-eye.

Hello, husband. :) :) :)

Enjoying being MARRIED!

Having breakfast for dinner... (this photo alone may require my apologies to all vegetarians and vegans)

Enjoying our Christmas presents...

Did I mention being married?

Doing some reading (which also includes enjoying said Christmas presents)...

Watching movies...

Playing games......

...while Cooper still gets more shut-eye...and looks adorable doing it. He's such a cute little model. :)

We're also being productive. We opened all of our cards on Christmas Eve and our gifts on Christmas Day (I've never gotten so many presents on Christmas!!), returned all duplicate wedding gifts, have picked up our official marriage license, changed my name with social security, driver's license, tag office, etc., and moved him in (for the most part) since he didn't live here until post-wedding. I'm SO glad we had another week off when we got home!

On another note, I CAN'T BELIEVE January is close enough to touch! 2011 has been a great year--bring on 2012!

Stay safe and talk to you next year, friends!

Wedding Week, Merry Christmas and a Friend

2011-12-12T20:29:00.001-06:00

Hello, Umbrellas!!

We are now FIVE days away from wedding day--crazy, right?! I spent the last half of last week up in KC to spend some time in the office, train those who will be covering for me (I'm going to be off Dec. 15 until Jan. 2!), and attend the company Christmas party Friday night.

Alex, Krissy, Me, Lauren and Tyler (Cowboy was back in Wichita studying his hiney off for this week's board exams!)

Krissy, Me and Lauren in the photo booth. They're "kissing the bride" in the last picture--haha!!

Because I was going to be out of town, I set a goal for myself to finish most all of the wedding projects by the time I left. I am SO thankful I did because I came home to just small projects and items to finish up. Cowboy is still studying his hiney off; he'll take his shelf exam for the family medicine rotation from 1:30 to 4:00 on Friday...and rehearsal is at 4:30! Dios mio, we are busy people! Also...to those of you considering a December wedding, also consider the fact that it will also be Christmas time, aka Christmas present time...no one told me that! ;) No, I'm actually really excited about the December wedding (and the fact that we got discounts due to being "off-season"!) and everything will be done and finished in time. I am excited OUT OF MY MIND that it's finally here and that we're going to see so many of our non-local friends and family. I've done a happy dance at least 14 times in the last 24 hours because I just can't help myself!

I need to say it:

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

I probably won't be posting again before the wedding (and definitely not during our honeymoon), so I wanted to share a blog to keep you occupied. My Love of Home is actually written by Lauren's mom. Since nearly all of the kids have moved out of the house, they decided to downsize into a fixer-upper across town. They have done SO much work in such a short amount of time--they are my DIY heroes! Go check out her latest series of posts--and make sure you start at the beginning to get a true sense of their transformations--we're talking knocking out walls, doubling the size of their laundry room (into the garage), brand new kitchen cabinets and countertops, cleaning up the backyard and adding a "beach" where their portion of land backs up to the river...and of course all of the spackling, painting, sanding, painting, tearing out carpet and painting! I promise you won't be disappointed!

OK, loves, until after the wedding and honeymoon, goodbye, goodnight, and a very Merry Christmas to all of you! Stay safe, warm and eat lots of yummies!

Alina

One Year

2011-12-02T14:51:00.001-06:00

One year ago today, I woke up with a sense of excitement and anticipation. I went to work that Thursday morning like I would any other workday. I completed my to-do list, anticipation growing and a slight smile on my face. Even my least favorite tasks didn't phase me. You see, I was a girl who had some plans that night. I didn't know if they would someday be considered big plans or if they'd have no real effect on the grand scheme of my life. It was a freeing feeling...I knew I was stepping out of my comfort zone, but felt completely right in doing so. Something about that day and the circumstances that had led up to it, my heart and soul felt like it should embrace the opportunity and brace myself...something felt different, in the good sort of way.

One year ago today, I left work in the dark, ran home to let the puppy out and smothered him with hugs and kisses as I apologized for making him kennel up again so soon. I knew I was being a giddy girl--something I try not to be too much of--but I couldn't help myself. It was getting closer. I did my best to clean up after working that day. Life had been so topsy-turvy lately that I hadn't had much of an appetite and had unnecessarily dropped weight. I did my best to find a pair of jeans that fit, picked out a long-sleeve black V-neck and tied a yellow scarf around my neck. I tried to put some life back into my flat hair and touched up my make-up. I sighed when I realized it wasn't going to really help all that much--I still looked frazzled. It would have to do, I told myself. I sat down on my couch to wait out the 15 minutes until I needed to leave. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt that nervous, so I stopped twiddling my thumbs and started praying. I prayed that he would lead me in the right direction, I prayed that I would have good and objective judgment, I prayed for him to take the pit out of my stomach.

One year ago today, I made that drive to the coffee shop. It was cold and rainy. I remember seeing the 87th street bridge and feeling that nervousness creep back into the pit of my stomach. I started taking deep breaths...none of it really helping. I pulled up and parked in front. Before turning my car lights off, I scanned the coffee shop. I didn't see you. After pondering which scenario would be less awkward, I decided I would go inside and wait. I stood there alone in front of the counter for a minute or two before I heard my phone buzz. My friend Emily was texting me to wish me luck that night. While I was responding, you walked in and approached me in your yellow sweater. I don't think I ever finished that text message. :)

I remember thinking you had funny mannerisms and you were chewing gum. We both wanted coffee, but I hung back a bit, unsure if you intended on or wanted to buy or not. You quickly answered that hesitation by telling me I could order whatever I wanted, it was on you, as you ushered me to the counter with your hand on my back.

We sat down in the two leather chairs. There were two college girls studying on the couch across from us...and they kept stealing glances at us and whispering back and forth with smiles. I think they saw it too. Over the next two hours, we shared the basics about ourselves, but we also wasted no time in delving into the "real" us. You told me about the accident that claimed your mom and little brother...and how your response was not of anger, but of gratefulness for the providence God had shown to you and your family. I told you about the anger and rebellion I wrestled with for most of my teenage years...and how God had delivered me from those attitudes. We talked about Lord Blaze, our great and crazy mutual friend that set the whole thing up. We talked about how we played for the same sports teams, had the same friends, graduated from the same college the year before...and somehow had never crossed paths. Maybe we would have met at our graduation ceremony...had you attended. ;)

We closed the shop down. They locked the door behind us and we stood on the sidewalk talking for a couple more minutes. I remember asking you why you didn't bring a coat and you told me it was because you were tough! As you walked away, a scary and foreign thought ran through my mind...I knew I was going to marry you. It's crazy for me to have thought anything like that. Me. Independent, not-looking-for-a-relationship, I-don't-date-strangers, cautious little 'ol me. But I knew. I don't know how, but you were different and it showed.

One year ago today, you walked into that coffee shop and changed my world forever. In fifteen days, I'll be your wife--the greatest honor ever to have been bestowed upon me. Thank you for a great year and for the many years ahead of us.

I love you and I dig you.

Luke's Studio: the Reveal

2011-11-22T22:41:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make: though I continually apologize for my recent (ahem...the last six...err eight...weeks) lack of posting, I just have to be realistic and say I don't see that changing until after the wedding (which is in like...THREE WEEKS). While I'd like to be talking to you guys regularly, I just don't have time! After working all day, we usually have plans starting at 5:01 or are running out the door to run errands (all wedding stuff). We also finally coordinated schedules with the pastor who is marrying us and JUST start premarital counseling last Friday (I didn't live here, then we were up to our necks in moving every weekend for five solid weeks, then the pastor was in Israel for a few weeks...now it's the holidays!) Oh man. So here we are...down to the last few weeks and more items on the to-do list than there are days left.

But I'm excited. I'm ready to be married already to this crazy, godly, over-thinking, busy, smart, handsome, compassionate and encouraging man that's about to be my husband. I'm ready. I know this wedding won't go entirely as planned, things won't happen like we are envisioning and the mid-December weather is nothing but unpredictable. But we don't care...as long as we're married at the end of the day, then everything will have gone perfectly.

All that said, we're working on projects out the wazoo! I've never crammed so many DIY projects into such a short period! Don't worry, I may be making you wait, but I will eventually be sharing all of this! I partly wait because of time and I partly wait because I don't want to take the fun out of it for the friends and family who will be there. :)

BUT...I do have a fun little reveal for you today. Remember when I kept talking about a "client" room a few weeks ago? It was for a co-worker whose husband was deployed. She wanted him to come home to a space that was all his. So, with a small budget, my job was to provide the furniture and some fun elements. I was responsible for the couch (Target), chair (vintage...from Craigslist...I wanted to keep it!), coffee table (thrifted), 6-foot leaning chalkboard (I built it; I'll give you a tutorial...after the wedding, lol!), metal/wood rolling cart and tall media stand (Crate and Barrel, but I owned them), and a lamp, pillows, etc...all for less than $300.

Watch the video below!

Guest Blogger: Abbie from Five Days...5 Ways

2011-11-11T01:01:00.001-06:00

Hi friends!

Today (or maybe this week, I should say...sorry for the lack of posts!), we have a very special guest. Remember when I made my tufted ottoman? If you do, remember whose ottoman it was that inspired mine? Yep, Miss Abbie over at Five Days...5 Ways. Well, to make a long story short, I found her blog through the ottoman picture on Pinterest...but I quickly understood that the woman behind the blog was someone I could very much respect. She loves Jesus, she has three adorable kids, she has killer arms (seriously...check out her guns!) and she's a self-proclaimed grammar lover. Oh, and she's from my home state. Girl after my own heart. So, I am more than elated to step aside and let her have the floor on MYU today. Please give her your full attention and go visit her right away!

Hi there, folks! My name is Abbie

from:

…and I’m so excited that Alina is having me by for a visit to share with you something I’m passionate about, which could benefit you guys in more ways than one.

Pinky promise.

How so?

Well, I’m hosting a huge giveaway/fundraiser to help build a new classroom for a Christian ministry to orphans in Uganda that is home-grown in East Texas where I live.

There are FIVE prize packages, chock-full of amazing handmade goodies and gift certificates (Lisa Leonard, anyone?) that you can win just by visiting and leaving me a comment.

Here’s just a small taste:

BUT!

If you want extra entries, you can also donate to:

…using a special button on my blog which will track your entries so we can see how much we raise and who wins!

Honestly, folks, these kids are incredibly humble and deserving! (Their idea of a special treat is an apple…I’m not kidding).

So, if you want to help us raise the money to build these precious children a new classroom + have the opportunity to be one of 5 lucky folks to win some awesome loot, please come check out The BIG PCM Fundraiser/Giveaway on my blog.

No amount is too small, and every dollar you give is matched up to our goal of $5,000 (wow!). Which means, if you give up Starbucks just once, you’ll be donating not $10 but $20 (just kidding…but at least $8, right?) to a truly worthy cause.

Hope to see you soon!

Thanks for stopping by, Abbie! Seriously, you guys...go see her right now!

Also, have a great Friday!

DIY X-Desk

2011-10-31T20:09:00.001-05:00

Since I'm now working out of our house for the ad agency, I needed a desk. We knew we wanted to build one, and we did! Many of you may have seen the unstained version of our desk on the MYU facebook page when we finished building it last week. Eight days, three coats of stain, and three coats of polyurethane later, this bad boy is finally complete!

I had seen a version of Ana White's X-Table (basically built like a picnic table) on Pinterest, so that served as the basis of the idea, but we did our own measurements and plan from scratch. We wanted/needed the legs to come off easily, so we used 5/8x6" hex bolts to mount the legs into the sides of the table top frame. It was pretty sturdy once these were tightened down, but we wanted it to be SUPER sturdy. We toyed with the idea of a cross-beam, but I personally didn't want to worry about hitting my shins on a big beam in the middle (because I would...), so we set off to a local "everything" shop, The Yard, located just east of downtown Wichita. I'm not joking and their web site isn't lying, they have EVERYTHING. We had fun just browsing the aisles for an hour or so. It was like DIY heaven for us DIY nerds!

Anyway...we found these awesome turnbuckles and, when I saw them, my wheels immediately started turning. I knew if we could find a way to attach them, we would be in business.

We ended up using pipe straps. No, we didn't use the turnbuckles or the pipe straps for what they were made for, but we ended up with a really.awesome.desk. The hardware completely makes this piece. This is what happens when you think outside of the box!

The best part is that the ends of the turnbuckles have a smaller bolt running through them, so we only need to unscrew these bolts, slip them out of the pipe straps and remove the large bolts mounting the tops of the legs into the bottom of the table (eight bolts total) and everything can be taken apart (it's not going through any doorways otherwise!). We don't have to unscrew anything out of the table itself (which could eventually cause the wood to wear away and fittings to become loose), just hardware from hardware.

The top is a collection of five 6-foot 2x6 boards, nailed into a frame made of 2x4s. Glorious top, delicious dark walnut stain...be still my heart!

These two pictures give you a better idea of the legs. They're two 2x4s nailed together from the back (so you don't see any nail heads from the outside of the table, giving it a more finished, sleek and professional look).

Obviously, you can see that one portion of the 'X' is solid, while the other is two pieces. The inside is done the same exact way, but opposite, so each of the cut pieces are nailed into a solid, full-length board. (Make sense??)

Final dimensions are 72" long x 27.5" deep x 31" tall. While it's not quite deep enough to make a good dining room table, the design could easily be widened by incorporating an additional 2x6 or two on the top.

It's not a far cry from either of these Pottery Barn dining tables either....

Pottery Barn Toscana Dining Table ($799-$1,499)

Pottery Barn Benchwright Dining Table ($999-$1,699)

The cost of ours? Let me break it down:

Lumber: $24.18 (we used whitewood)
Polyurethane (matte finish): $10.20 for a pint...I used less than a quarter, so I'll count the cost as $2.55
1 lb. box of finish nails: $2.92
Hardware: $25.96

5/8-inch flat washers x 4: $1.64
5/8-inch lock washers x4: $0.36
5/8x6 hex bolts x 4: $11.64
3/8-inch pipe straps x 4: $0.76
Screws for pipe straps x 4: $1.66
Turnbuckles x 2: $9.90

Stain: $24.09 for a gallon...I definitely used less than a fifth (it took WAY less than I thought it would!), so I'll count the cost as $4.82
TOTAL COST: $60.43

$60.43!? $60.43!!

Sorry, I think I just impressed myself!

Now taking orders for the My Yellow Umbrella furniture company!

P.S. Remember the banker's desk chair I found at Goodwill for $24.99? Restoration Hardware's version is available for a mere $495. So, for my total desk set-up, we spent $85.92 on what we could have spent thousands on, just by thrifting and building ourselves. Seriously...go take one more glance at the Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware prices above. It's worth the time spent!

Four Weeks in 800 Words or Less

2011-10-27T16:29:00.000-05:00

Whew! Starting to get back on track; not quite into a groove yet, but the post-move crazies are starting to settle just in time for wedding planning to ramp back up! We've been up to a lot in October already, so I thought I'd share a slew of pictures from the cell (as that's the best representation I have!). Forgive me for the poor picture quality, but 1) I have no idea where my camera is right now (haven't seen it nor gone looking for it since before the move), and 2) I know the batteries are dead, so there's no use in me trying to find it right now!

I literally filled my car to the brim...front to back, side to side and top to bottom...three weekends in a row. You're looking at the front seat looking back!

Aaand, we STILL had the entire trailer full last weekend! (And Cowboy even took a load in his truck at the end of September!) Holy Moses, where did all of this stuff come from?!

But, we eventually got the entire apartment cleared out. Looks pretty different than it did from the apartment tour last month, doesn't it?

Before I left KC, I went to a "see you later" dinner at Buca di Beppo on the Plaza with some of my girlfriends. As we were walking into the restaurant, I saw this:

If you don't recognize that car, you probably don't understand why I stopped and took a picture of it!

At the beginning of October, my mom and I (and her friend, Lisa!) drove up to Hesston for the bi-annual barn sale. All I can say is...awesome. I came home with a vintage suitcase, a vintage serving plate, a necklace, two bars of handmade soap, two vintage tins (I will be re-purposing them...deets coming soon!), a pair of earrings and more...for $38! Seriously...it.was.awesome. It was all handmade or thrifted, it was beautiful and it was really exciting to meet some local vendors!

Then, the following weekend (back in Wichita again), these little munchkins (these belong to my soon to be sister-in-law Nicole) showed up at my house...

...while their dad (Jacob, Cowboy's brother) and Cowboy were hanging our newly-built porch swing. He (Jacob) built this by hand as a wedding present for us. Amazing, right?! Just wait until you realize it has cup holders!

Also, in important news...I found this rug here for 75% off at one of the Target stores in KC (which means I paid $87 for the original $350 price!). Actually, my awesome friend Erin tipped me off. She's amazing! And the rug is also amazing in our living room.

And, now that the move is finally complete, I've been able to do a few small projects around the house! I made a fall wreath for a few bucks since I've been whining for fall decor. Oh! And that's the vintage suitcase I picked up at the barn sale. $12 bucks...crazy cheap, right? It's in perfect condition, too, which makes this girl elated. It's sitting in front of the door because the front door closes itself. I needed a doorstop and immediately remembered a sailor's knot doorstop I saw on Pinterest and pinned a while back...

...so I made it! Tutorial and pictures coming soon!

I've also created a small terrarium...

Cooper's realized he belongs in windowsills...

I made new curtains for the back door (the old ones had geese on them...and were really, really, really dirty. They crunched when I took them off of the back door. Um...gross.)

Which brings us to this past weekend--our official first weekend in Wichita! I carved "J&A" and Cowboy carved a pumpkin...like a pumpkin shape into his pumpkin. His creativity astounds me! I later found out that's what he carved last year too--hahaha!! Love him.

And, since I'm now working remotely for the agency, I am in need of a desk! So, last Saturday night, we built a desk. It.is.awesome. It's a chunky, heavy, big-hardware, solid desk and I feel like it's something we could have paid thousands for from Restoration Hardware. We spent around $70! It's currently in the garage awaiting its third coat of stain and a coat of poly. As soon as it's cured and in the house, I'll be posting final pictures and a tutorial for the desk as well!

Whew! And that's how you give a month-long update in under 800 words!

P.S. if you saw the MYU facebook post today, we're only 51 days away from the wedding. Go check out how we're counting down "officially" here at the house!

I'm Here and I'm Alive!

2011-10-18T01:15:00.001-05:00

The first time I typed my title, I typed, "I'm Here and I'm Alice!" So, just call me Alice today! ;)

We've been doing so much that I feel completely disoriented. I'm so used to traveling on the weekends that, after moving this weekend, I felt like it was time to drive home to Kansas City. What a strange feeling to stay! Since I was off yesterday and today, I feel like maybe I'm just staying for an extra couple of days before driving "home." So weird...

But, I'm happy to report that our move went smoothly, everything is here, and almost everything is put away. We have some really, really super awesome friends (Alex & Krissy!) that helped us move. Lauren's parents were moving (across town) this weekend too, so her and Tyler were already here. Since I had previously moved everything but the last few bits of furniture, it only took about 30 or 45 minutes to unload once my stuff we got here. We then found out that Lauren's family was quickly approaching their deadline to be out of their old house and they were only halfway done, so Alex, Krissy, Cowboy and I drove over there to help. It was a looooong day, to say the least. Sunday, we all slept in, had a big breakfast and just hung around until everyone left mid-afternoon for KC.

As far as the new house, we are loving it! Furniture is in place, for the most part, and I've been doing the small 5-minute projects here and there so that I feel like I'm accomplishing something! I'll be taking pictures for a preliminary house tour and updating you with the small projects I've been doing this week. I hung the first item on the walls tonight (a mirror in the entry way) and can I just say that I am not a fan of plaster walls? HOLY.COW.

Anyway--more to come this week...can't wait to show you the new digs!

P.S. Is everyone done decorating for fall? I'm so ready to start mine, but I'm afraid it will be time to decorate for Christmas by the time I get settled, lol! Oh well, bring on the Christmas trees!!

Moving Update!

2011-10-10T00:19:00.000-05:00

WHEW!

*Lets out big breath*

I've been running around like a crazy person for the last two weeks. May I just remind each and every one of you how much fun moving is...not? Cowboy took a load of furniture down two weekends ago, I took all of the decor/pillows/books/dining chairs/random crap down last weekend and this weekend I took everything in the kitchen, bathroom, hall closet, my closet and some other random boxes. The sad news is that I'm literally living in an empty white box. I had to pack a bag to come back to Kansas City for the week, which was a really strange feeling! The good/awesome news is that, with the help of Cowboy and our cousin Britt, every single bit of the new house is cleaned and things are put away. What an awesome feeling! Next weekend is the final move, so I'll be getting the apartment cleaned and ready to move out of this week and then all we have left to move is two dressers, my bed and nightstand, the couch and the washer/dryer! It's been a lot of hard work, but I'm so grateful for the help everyone has offered and proud/excited about how much progress we've made! Next weekend should be pretty simple. In the meantime, I have five days left in the office before I transition to working from home in our new city and plans every night this week with my beloved KC girlfriends!

I did finally also get around to posting the apartment tour page with links to projects--sorry about the delay there! I'm hoping to get some more posts out this week about the backlog of projects I've done in the last six weeks, but I make no promises. :) I'm also hoping to return to a normal schedule again once the move is over (and we won't be traveling every weekend anymore!) because I REALLY want to decorate for fall--I feel like I'm missing it! However, I also know that once the move is over, it will be time to start focusing on the wedding again, since I've put planning and projects on hold until after the move. Only two months and one week left now! We've had two of the four showers people are so graciously planning for us, but the whole "getting married" thing didn't hit me and feel "real" until we were moving stuff into the house last weekend. I remember standing in the living room looking around and seeing items that belonged to both of us...in the same room...in the same house. I looked at Cowboy and said, "WHOA...we're going to be living together! There's like...boy stuff and girl stuff in here!" It sounds funny, and we were definitely laughing, but I got so giddy and excited! He won't move into the house until after we get married, but since that's so close and since we've been living in separate cities for all but three weeks of our engagement, it was the first time it really felt real. SO exciting!

Seriously, so excited and thankful about where we are in life right now. We are blessed and I'll be relishing in that this week as one chapter closes and another begins!

Bittersweet

2011-09-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

Only occasionally do I share my heart here at MYU (like I did on New Year's Day), but the crazy hours and constant activity and never-ending to-do lists have handed me one sickness after another. I just recently got over several months of mono and now I'm home from work today with what I think is a sinus infection. But before I keep going and you think I'm complaining, let me preface this by saying I'm grateful. I've been up to my ears in stress lately, but that's my own fault. It's my own plans (or at least how I've chosen to take "control" of God's plans) that have landed me here. Hard-headed as I am, sometimes it takes being knocked out on the couch for Him to get my attention. Laying here in the silence of my half-empty living room today, I've been able to reflect over where I am in this life transition.

I've been blessed with a better-than-I-could've-asked-for small group of girls that come over to my apartment every other Tuesday night. We've been doing life together for the last two years. We've gone through bible study after bible study together, encouraging each other, crying over each other's pains, lifting up one another's burdens in prayer. We call each other sister-friends...and that's exactly what we are. But more than that, they're my warrior-friend-sisters. Tonight is our last meeting before I move (they will continue on, of course, but unless they really start skyping me in like they've threatened, it will be my last meeting). We're finishing up a book called What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst. Essentially, this book is about radical obedience.

Here's an excerpt from a recent chapter:

God owns it all. We are simply managers of His resources. When we pursue the beautiful opportunities of sacrificial living, we freely acknowledge that truth and then reap the blessings. When we come to understand that we're giving up what was never ours to begin with, we're walking in radical obedience.

Truth. While I love all of my projects and the by-products of every single talented person out there, my heart knows it's really just stuff. When my brand new, hot-off-the-lot car was victim of a hit-and-run (and almost $2,000 in damages) last year, I was OK. Do you know why? Because that car is still just a "thing." When I leave this earth after my blink of a life, it's not going with me. I leave all of this behind. But you know what else I know I'm leaving behind? A legacy. I don't want to be the friend that couldn't stop and listen because I was focused on my own stress. I don't want to be the wife who couldn't be flexible or positive and encouraging. I don't want to be the mom (someday) who couldn't devote full attention because I was focused on what I was planning on "accomplishing" that day. I don't want to be the stranger who couldn't give because I'm so tight with my finances. I just want to be careful that my focus doesn't shift away from what's really important (yo...that's exactly what the enemy wants!).

I'm so, so blessed. And, essentially, though I'm excited about where God is physically taking Cowboy and I, I want to be careful to not miss the REAL opportunities to be a blessing in those places. Being in the military means we'll be moving every few years. What's been bouncing around in my head is how hard it is to move and say goodbye after just two years here (and we're even momentarily moving back to a place that we both have family in!). How much harder will it be when we've been in these places for a few years? And what about when kids are in the mix? How will they adjust? How challenging is it going to be to create a "home" when everything must be so temporary? But...in my heart, I know that these are silly worries. The opportunities we're being afforded far exceed my mind's worry. I know that we'll take on these challenges as they come--no sense in worrying over them now. And at the end of the day, we'll be taken to places where we're uncomfortable, unfamiliar and unsure--and that's exciting!

So, in summation, I want to be radically obedient. I don't want my vision to be clouded by worry and temporary "things" that hold zero long-term importance. I want to be effective and joyful and strong. And I'm asking every single one of my friends, family and readers to hold me accountable to that. I shared my heart on New Year's Day for the same reason...and I've returned countless times to re-read my surrender of 2011. I gave the Lord this year and wowza has he surprised me! Within five months of writing that post, I was officially dating Cowboy (actually, it was later that day!), we were engaged, he was moving back to Wichita, which meant I was following him...so that we could be married by the end of the year! This year is nothing but proof of how fast "my" plans can change to far beyond anything I ever expected. 2011 has already been a year of extreme evolution, change and unexpected twists. So, today, I am hitting a "reset" button. I am planning on thoroughly enjoying my last 17 days in Kansas City. I am optimistic about the new memories that will be made in Wichita (including, but not limited to, getting married--yah!). I have zero ideas about where we're headed next (that's up to the Navy :), and I'm excited about that.

Here's to a reset and a reminder to be radically obedient--may the rest of the time I'm afforded be focused on what God has for me...and being grateful for that. You have my permission to knock some sense back into me if I start to get worried and focused on the unimportant stuff. :)

A First and Final Apartment Tour

2011-09-25T20:48:00.001-05:00

The first time most people walk into my apartment, they almost always say, "wow! This is not how I imagined it being laid out!" and "ohh...I remember the blog post where you made this...and this too!"...which is true! You have always seen the details of my apartment, but never the big picture. Well, before I started packing everything up this week, I decided to take some final pictures. This being my first apartment, I moved into this white box with a just few pieces of furniture, some pots and pans, some bedding...you know, the basics. So I can literally say I've been "building" this apartment to what it is now slowly over the past two years. It's a bittersweet thing to pack it all up and this place will always be important for the memories and growth it represents. So here it is--imperfect, but comfortable and a place I feel happy and content in. Also...please take note if you, too, live in an apartment! You can do a lot with these blank white boxes!

Yes, I do have a yellow umbrella hanging on my balcony.

Entry way

Walking through the entry way, you see this part of the living room to your right and straight ahead.

Left side of the living room/in front of the balcony door.

Living room/front door/balcony door view from inside.

This angle of my bedroom is probably fairly familiar...

This angle, not so much! On the right, you're looking at the bathroom and the hall closet that you also see from the left-side living room shots.

Bathroom...you haven't seen it since before I updated!

You have, however, seen my painted striped shower curtain! For art, I just framed a piece of scrap fabric in an IKEA frame! So fun and textural.

This is the kitchen from both ends. The door with the wreath leads to a pantry/water heater closet.

At the other end of the kitchen (next to the fridge), you'll find another door that leads to my laundry room/tool & project supply room.

And that's it! Not huge, not perfect, still an apartment, but like I said, it's a special place for me.

Today Cowboy took the first big load of furniture. So, now my living room looks like this. Bittersweet...can I say that enough?

I'll be back later this week to add this as a separate page. Additionally, I'll be adding a directory of projects I've done in every room so that you have a good idea of where everything has gone! Thanks again for your patience in my lack of posting; I did finish the client room I was working on and now since moving has officially begun, I'm going to be packing and enjoying every second I have left in Kansas City. I'll be loading up my car with small items (décor, clothing, kitchen items, etc.) for the next two weekends and then we'll finally move all of the remaining furniture. Since I will just be here Monday-Thursday nights, I have something like 12ish days left here...which means I'll be living in the same city as Cowboy in just as much time! Have I said bittersweet, yet?!

Tea Staining

2011-09-20T23:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday, all!

A few months ago, I came home with this sweet little IKEA lamp that fits perfectly into my hallway bookshelf. I've planned all along to "hack" the white lampshade. I thought it would be pretty great covered in some map-printed fabric...but I have yet to find any such fabric!

So one night a few weeks ago, I decided to try tea staining it. F-R-E-E, people.

Here's the after...not so stark, but I'm not 100% sold on it. I can't decide if I like the color or if it just looks dirty??

What do you think? Dirty-looking or better than white?

Our [$1] DIY Ring Pillow

2011-09-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

I probably won't be sharing MANY details before the wedding (it's just not as much fun that way!), but here's one I will. There are so many "things" that tradition deems as necessary in a ceremony--things like a ring pillow. There are a ton of different option out there, some personalized, some generic, some white, some patterned, some unique and some not so much. As with most of our ceremony, I wanted this to be one more thing that was personalized. When I saw this on Etsy, I fell in love. When I saw the $38 price tag (no offense, of course, that's just more than I would ever want to spend), I decided to make my own.

First, I set up my calendar in excel. Then, using spray adhesive (on the back of the fabric, not the paper...I didn't want the exposed paper to be sticky going through my printer), I attached a very thin piece of white fabric to a piece of white computer paper and ran it through my printer. I had the calendar centered on the page to match up with my fabric (and I did a trial run on paper to make sure they would line up right).

Once it was printed, I peeled the fabric off of the paper and trimmed the sides.

From there, I sewed the calendar to a double-layer of linen. Before sewing the pillow itself, I hand-stitched a heart around our date in pink thread. Then, I attached a piece of cotton string at the top of the calendar as a way to tie our rings on. Then, I sewed a basic pillow, stuffed it, and hand-stitched it closed.

The only thing I bought for this project was the linen, since I had everything else on hand already. I bought half of a yard for $4 and only used about a third of it. So, for just over $1, I have a custom ring pillow that I can (and will) use even after the wedding! And now my $37 can go to pay for something else wedding-related. :)

Speaking of wedding, bear with me for the next month as posts may be a bit further in between. In the next four weeks, I am finishing a client room, preparing to work remotely, moving to a new city and continuing to travel almost every weekend and work full-time. No down-time for this girl. So, I'm not being lazy and not posting...I'm just struggling to keep my head above water over here! So if I need to take a nap, at least I have a very cute ring pillow to lay my head on. ;)

Adventures in Pinterest

2011-09-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

On a recent weekend (OK, a few weeks ago), Krissy and I decided to try two recipes we had seen on Pinterest. You see, Krissy and Alex are currently mid-kitchen-remodel and have no working kitchen yet. No kitchen counter, no kitchen sink, no oven, no dishwasher (she's been washing the dishes in the bathroom sink and bathtub for weeks now!)...get the picture?? So when I joined them, all we could use was the grill and bathroom counter space. The two recipes we wanted to try just happened to use both of those (OK, so I've never really seen a recipe that calls for a bathroom counter, but you now what I mean...right?? right.)

1. Grilled pizza

2. No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars

Here's how it went:

Krissy decided on a margherita pizza, so she prepared the tomato, basil, garlic, spices, cheese and dough...

Then she taught me how to test the grill's heat (one second or less = REALLY hot, 2-3 seconds = medium and longer than that means the heat is low...heh).

She prepped the dough, brushing one side with oil...

And then when it came time to flip it over onto the grill...it stuck. BIG TIME. We eventually managed to spread it out...of. (Did you know if you try to "spread" sticky dough onto a hot grill, it starts sinking through the grate? Yeah. It does.)

When we tried to flip it, it turned into this:

Even with three adults and three utensils...that bad boy was not coming up and flipping over in one piece. (Do you see all of the dough that fell through onto the coals??)

But, when life handed us strips of dough, we made cheese bread.

Simply put, the dough needed more flour. Attempt #1 at grilling pizza was unsuccessful, but we will conquer this...another night!

Moving onto dessert (and into the bathroom). See? Dishes drying on the bathroom counter.

We pulled out the blender, dumped our oreos in and...nothin'. Nada. Oh, it was blending alright....a bunch of air! You definitely need a food processor for this.

It ended up being faster to crush the oreos by hand with a fork, so that's what we did!

Once we finally got the Oreos crushed, this dessert was DELICIOUS and so easy! I will definitely be making it again.

P.S. This was also the night I turned into the crazy stick lady. ha! What a night.

Anyone else had any Pinterest flops lately?

Proof is in the Pudding (or Pictures)

2011-09-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Ohhhhh my have we some projects coming soon! Just to prove it...

Mmm, I love me a man with a chain saw (^that man, specifically).

So lots of tutorials, pictures, laughs and tears to share with you soon! This weekend, I'm off to Oklahoma for my first bridal shower. WOO! I've heard my Nana has a Kitchenaid mixer waiting for me...but shhhh! don't tell! (Hi Nana....you're probably reading this...I love you! Thanks for the Kitchenaid!)

100 Days of Wedding, a To-Do List and a Barn Sale!

2011-09-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

Umbrellas, we have SO much going on behind the scenes over here! Between wedding planning, searching for our first house together, Cowboy's clinical rotations and med school schedule, being in two different cities (read: traveling every weekend one direction or the other), working on a client room (details coming soon!!), planning moves, and actually executing the wedding plans...I feel like I can barely catch my breath! Fortunately, we have been able to knock some major to-do items off of the list. To give you an idea, in the past month we have:

Ordered wedding bands
Had my wedding dress altered
Taken care of all bridesmaid and groomsmen attire (it's all here and final alterations are being made!)
Found and signed the lease agreement on our first house together (I move in FIVE weeks!!!)--SO excited about this one.
Cowboy finished his surgery rotation and has started his internal medicine rotation
Had my engagement ring sized
Bought the materials for about six different projects...and are about half-finished with several of them.
And about twelve other things I either won't mention or am forgetting.
Did I mention I work full-time? And I'm traveling every weekend?

Thanks to the gracious and wonderful people around me, I have two different showers coming up in the next two weekends (in two different states!). After that, I have one weekend to pack and then I start moving the first weekend of October. Ummm...that's in THREE weeks! Since we have both our house and my apartment for the whole month of October, I essentially have a few weekends to move things back and forth. Which means...I don't have a free, unplanned weekend until October 22! (Which is only EIGHT weeks before the wedding...oh me, oh my!)

By the way, today is 100 days until the wedding...which means tomorrow breaks the 100-day mark and I have a feeling everything is going to FLY by after that. That means excited, busier-than-ever, hustling Alina! If you only see but a blur of me within the next 99 days, please forgive me! I'm doing my best to wear 16 hats at once. :)

In other news, I plan on making an appearance at the Hesston Barn Sale on October 1 (more traveling, lol!). If you're in the area, be sure to check it out!