PBJstories

Pinterest and Shopping– Spark Studio makes life just a little bit easier!

2013-05-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

This discussion is brought to you today by Walmart Labs

So, there’s this new thing. And it has to do with online shopping. And Pinterest. Yup I’m sold. Actually when I was asked to check out Walmart’s newest website, Spark Studio, that combined the love of Pinterest and online shopping into one I was literally doing leaps of joy, just like those women above! Can’t you just imagine me?

Here’s the quick lowdown: Spark Studio is a new website that Walmart created to help their customers become inspired to find what they love for their lives. Their home page is a welcome pad for the the top most pinned items from Walmart. You can see the number of pins, and how long it’s been a hot item for in the Pinterest world.
Beyond that you can break down your search by so many different ways. They have an easy drop down menu that will pull up the most pinned items in different categories. Also seen in their drop down menu are the top pinned brands.
With Spark Studio, you can browse and shop products by:
1) Inspirations- Items by Walmart shoppers on Pinterest
2) Fashion and Beauty- Discover must-haves from Walmart shoppers
3) For the home- Solutions and ideas from Walmart fans
4) Babies- Search the top picks from Pinterest moms
5) Pets- Find everything you will need for your pet
6) Playtime- A collection of items to entertain the whole family

They take it one step further and you can also search for different items depending on color scheme.

When you click on an image from the category page it’ll give you the option to pin it to your board of choice (tip: Make a board specific to shopping with Spark Studio for an easy to remember shopping list!) Or you can click again to be brought directly to that item’s page on Walmart.com. This seriously targets my BIGGEST weakness to online shopping: IMPULSE BUYING!

I spent some time on Spark Studio and picked some of my top choices from each category just to give you a preview of some serious awesome things that now I really want. You can also view my Pinterest Board inspired by Spark Studio where you’ll find the links to these ideas, plus lots more!

Isn’t that bathing suit so cute?! Also, I have a problem with buying hair product tools, I’m convinced I need to buy 50 versions of the same thing until I find the perfect one for my hair to be styled perfect. Even though I often usually fail to user error.

Big on my shopping list right now is a high quality outdoor patio set that won’t break our bank, but looks great. Low and behold, this one is reasonably priced, especially for the whole set! I’m also loving that industrial inspired TV stand!

I’m trying to tell myself with Baby Kenzie I’ll make time to prep some homemade baby food. Maybe if I buy that adorable food prepping system I’ll be more motivated?! Also, that crib there? I don’t need a new crib, but that was TOP on my list for the entire time I was planning Baby Kenzie’s nursery and so many have asked where they could get an affordable, but adorable crib. And last but not least… do you SEE THOSE WHEELS? Yup, that will be ordered by me once Kenzie’s old enough.

We don’t have a dog…yet. We will be getting one eventually, or some day soon, or at least we tell ourselves that. It’s nice to know that Walmart has such adorable pet accessories!

Isn’t that bike AMAZING? I cannot wait until our kids are old enough and we can do family bike rides. And did you know Walmart has great options for accessories for your DLSR? This lens might needed to be added to my camera bag. And as a DIYer I always thought I’d just build Kenzie a play kitchen when she’s old enough, but for around $100 this play kitchen may just be the PERFECT solution for a low cost but so so cute play kitchen.

This is bad. Seriously. I already online shop a lot. And I spend WAY too much time on Pinterest…. I had a blast checking out Spark Studio, and this is one of those times I’m seriously sharing a product I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE with you! Be sure to check out Spark Studio for yourself and feel free to visit my Pinterest board, and also their Pinterest board for lots of inspiration.

I’d love to hear your feedback and let me know what you think of this.

This is a sponsored post by Walmart Labs, asking my review of their product. As usual, I only share products with you that I love myself and use!

Just about the CUTEST DIY Kid’s Kitchen

2013-05-06T09:24:00.002-04:00

I recently saw a friend of mine post some pictures her husband and her making their daughter a new play kitchen – DIY style. I about DIED of cuteness once I saw the final kitchen! I instantly asked her if I could share it on my blog and was so happy to be able to feature her. Check out her daughter’s DIY’d play kitchen and all the amazing details they incorporated into it!

For my daughter Zoey’s first birthday, I knew I wanted to get her a kitchen. As I started looking, I was unimpressed with the options. If I was going to have something that large in my house, I needed it to at least look like it matched my style. I found one or two options that I liked, but with a price tag that just did not match my budget.

So, I found this idea on Pinterest (of course!) and decided what the heck, I’ll give it a try. I found a $30 TV stand for sale on Craigslist. It was the perfect height and size (dimensions) for Zoey.

Once I had the shell, it was all pretty easy from there. The TV stand we bought was made of particle board covered in laminate. We were able to easily sand it all off, and paint using Glidden True Turquoise. Once the paint dried, we painted MinWax Semigloss poly urethane over the paint for a longer lasting color.

I’d say the hardest part was building the oven and making sure it opened without falling on her toes. We used wires to suspend it off the floor when it opens (see photo below) and a pneumatic door closer.

We also found this Con-tact paper that gave the oven and fridge a “stainless” feel.

The second hardest part was finding something that could work as a faucet for her sink!

The rest was just seeing how creative we could get and having fun with it!

These are the pre-cut round wood discs from Michaels – spray painted and the burners hand painted on.

I used paint chips to create her backsplash! We then covered it with plexi-glass that I got at Home Depot for $13.

At the end of the day, I think it’s the details that make it special. We made sure the knobs can turn, that there is a light to light up the counter, hand painted the burners, picked out the knobs especially for her, and added some flowers – because a girl always needs a fresh bouquet of flowers in the kitchen!

ADORABLE right??? I love all the amazing details they did everything from the awesome backsplash, the adorable turning knobs, the play food, and the perfect accessories! My baby girl needs to grow up fast so I can ~~copy~~ make my own play kitchen for her

Let’s all take a deep breathe of clean air.

2013-05-02T10:26:00.000-04:00

Can you tell from this picture what I’m going to be talking about today???

Today’s discussion is brought to you by Filtrete Filters. I am a brand ambassador for Filtrete and sharing my love of their products with you!

Confession time: When is the last time someone in your home changed your air filters?
I’d be really curious to know how many of you are currently asking yourself, “changing our what?”

See that big grate in the ceiling? That’s where one of our two air filters goes in. An air filter helps quality control the air you breathe in within your home. “They help create a healthy home and healthier indoor air by capturing airborne dust, allergens, bacteria and viruses.” (FiltreteFilters.com) As most products, there is a wide range of filters you can choose from cheap to high quality ones. Many may be drawn to buy the cheaper ones however the time and energy you spend changing them out and buying new ones monthly, will end up costing you more than purchasing ones of a high quality that you can change out every three months.

Filtrete air filters have always been our filters of choice for many reasons. This spring season we wanted to try out their new Odor Reduction filters. Not only do they improve their air quality in our home but these are specific to help control the odors that can build up in a home.

As you can see in the first picture our downstairs air filter is near the front of our home. It sits in between our kitchen area, living area, and entryway area. A true meeting ground for smells and odors to collect, which is why I’m really eager to see the difference these will have on the air quality in our home.

The packaging give you clear instructions of how to install your air filters into your vents. It can be easy to forget which way your filter is supposed to go in so they conveniently mark on the filter. They also list all the odors that your filter will help capture, so you don’t have to smell the lingering odors in your home.

My husband has pretty sensitive allergies, especially in the spring, so I really hope that this line of Filtrete Filters will help him while he’s in the home to have a break from all his sneezing and itchy eyes.

Want to more about this awesome bad boy? The Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter:

Has a unique two-sided design, with one side that captures large airborne particles and the second side that removes household odors.
Is the most effective 1” odor=reduction filter at removing odors in the home – such as those from cooking, tobacco smoke, pets, mildew and cleaning chemicals – and is 65 times more effective than other carbon filters (Based on comparison of organic vapor capacity vs. other national retail furnace filter brands)
Starts to remove even the strongest odors in minutes after the furnace fan is turned on
Also helps improve indoor air quality and captures airborne allergens such as pollen, mold spores, dust mite debris, smoke, pet dander and smog from the air passing through the filter
Last up to three months for odor removal and particle capture for air passing through the filter.
MSRP $15.99

You can find Filtrete filters at your local Target, Walmart, Lowe’s, Costco, and your local hardware store. You can also find your local dealer of Filtrete filters by visiting FindMyFiltreteFilter.com.
You can also stay up to date with Filtrete filters on Facebook, Twitter, and their eNewsletter on the website.

Want to know some more “quick” facts about YOUR air quality?

According to the EPA, air fresheners release VOC’s into the air, and scented candles and incense may contain particulates, soot and chemicals. These also only provide temporary relief from odors by masking them in one particular room but will do nothing to remove the odors from the entire home.

The EPA has identified indoor air pollution as one of the tope five urgent environmental risks to public health.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declares May to be “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month”

The American Lung Association (ALA) releases the State of the Air Report in April, which identifies the cities and towns with the worst outdoor air. But did you know that the air inside your home could be 2-5 times worse that the air outdoors

So, tell me, when’s the last time YOU changed your air filters?

Making the Honest switch, one household cleaning product at at time

2013-04-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

This discussion is brought to you by The Honest Company.
As always, I only share what products I love and use with you!

I was recently asked to try out a few new cleaning products and see if I’d choose to “make the switch”. The products were from The Honest Company, which I actually first heard of for their baby wipes and diapers program they offer.
I never have been really “particular” about the type of cleaning chemicals I use in the home. However, because of that reason I find it hard to find time to clean areas like the bathroom where I’m using such potent and strong chemical-based products because I usually have baby girl around the area.

For that same reason, I dread cleaning bathrooms because the strong smell of the products give me a headache usually. I always have to have windows open and fan going after I do big cleans from all the bleach smells from doing the shower, floors and counters.

Once I read about all the benefits of using The Honest Company’s cleaning products I was excited to see if I would actually make the switch and stop using all the previous cleaning products I use and if I’d stick with theirs. These products are designed to be safe and sustainable, while being beautiful, fresh, and fun.

Mostly I wanted to be sure that (1) they did clean as well as I was used too, (2) I felt like they cleaned as good and (3) it helped eliminate the issue of strong odors.

Our second bathroom belongs to our son J and eventually Kenzie will be using it as hers as well. So the idea of “friendlier” cleaners makes me happy when it’s their tiny hands that touch all the surfaces.

The surfaces that get dirty the fastest, as usually, the sink, counter, toilet and bathroom. The sink is ALWAYS covered in toothpaste, as my son is big on doing it himself… and doesn’t always end up in his mouth. There is always water spots all over the counter and just the usual build up. He takes a bath a lot and I’m big on making sure no grim builds up in there from the bath.

As I started to clean with the Honest products I was instantly surprised at how pleasant they smelled!!! No harsh chemical smell, they actually had a nice scent of Eucalyptus Mint to them. After I cleaned the surfaces with them I was happy to that the surfaces felt clean too. My hands didn’t get as dried out as they do with the other products too.

In addition to the bathroom cleaner, and floor cleaner I also tried their Bubble Bath for my son’s routine baths. Can you believe I actually NEVER let him have bubbles in his baths? I’m not big on them mostly because when he was a baby he had super sensitive skin, and then as he grew up I just didn’t like the leftover soap film they left in the bath. But I was very happy with their bubbles. They smelled fresh and I didn’t feel they left a film in the bathtub either. My son was VERY happy to have bubbles!

So ultimately the question is, will I be tossing out the harsh cleaning products I’ve been using and keeping the new Honest cleaning products? I do believe I will be!

The Honest Company was started by a mom and dad that wanted something better in their home, something that was more natural, and non-toxic and something that looked as beautiful as it felt in your home. They have a WIDE variety of products, but ones that you can use daily in your own home.
Anything from cleaning products to your baby wipes and diapers. They also have a full line of baby products that you’ll feel safe using on your bundle of joy.

You can get more information and sign up for a FREE trial of diapers and wipes here.

You can see more about their cleaning products and get a FREE trial here.

Want some more goodness? You can sign up for their email content here.

And that’s not all!

You can get $10 off a $40 purchase at The Honest Company using code: $10off$40Pollinate ! (Limited to first-time customers and one use per customer.
Expires May 14 2013).

You can keep up with The Honest Company on Twitter, Facebook, and their Blog.

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and The Honest Company but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #NaturallyHonest http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Decorating by bringing nature inside

2013-04-24T04:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of iBulb. All opinions are 100% mine.

I absolutely love working with reclaimed wood and this project was super easy to do! I’ll admit right away that this is more of a "reclaimed wood vase ‘holder’” as you couldn’t fill a wood vase with water for your flowers. So unless you use faux flowers, you can build this vase and inside it place a slim vase or glass that you’ll actually fill with water for your flowers which is what I did.

I used a broken apart pallet for my reclaimed wood. If you can find a traditional size pallet, typically the length of one board is 40” and the hubs cut the board down to four equal parts about 10” each.

Then I aligned the cut boards to make a box and used painters tape to hold the boards in place. The tape won’t stick to your boards, but if you wrap it around enough the tape will be tight enough and stick to itself. Next I used a 1/8th inch drill bit and pre-drilled two holes on each side near the bottom, and top of the “box”. You want to pre-drill to prevent the wood from splitting.

I used #6 1” screws to attach all four boards together. By using #6 screws they have a smaller head width to them which will make it easier to prevent splitting in the wood.

After it was all attached I removed the painter’s tape and gave it a quick sand with my orbital sander. I didn’t sand it down too much as I really wanted the reclaimed woods characters to show when I stained it. I just did a light sanding to remove any splintering wood and give the bottom an even surface.

I almost ALWAYS use Minwax stain in Provincial anytime I stain wood. If you’ve never stained wood before, doing a project with reclaimed wood is PERFECT as you really can’t screw it up. With a smooth finish wood you really have to stain in one direction and follow up with a rag quickly to give an even coat. But with reclaimed wood the stain soaks up evenly on its own and I rarely have to follow up with a rag. You really can’t go “wrong” staining reclaimed wood, it’s mistake proof so if you’ve been nervous to try and stain something – this is a perfect first try!

Once the piece is completely stained just let it air dry for a few hours in a well ventilated area.
I love the character of it!

I placed a narrow glass inside it and filled with water to hold my beautiful lilies I picked up from our local flower shop. I LOVE lilies! They are such big beautiful flowers that make an impact in decorating. I made a small bouquet of white and pink lilies and grabbed some filler of greenery and baby breath.

Decorating your home with fresh flowers is such a refreshing way to bring in color, plus they smell great too! I love the big size of lilies and I love that within one bouquet the flowers will bloom at various times making the arrangement look different daily.

Many people think the scent of lilies can be strong and sometimes those that have allergies can be sensitive to lilies. But did you know that if you remove the anther (that fluffy pollen pod) it’ll prevent those that have a sensitivity to pollen. In addition it’ll help keep the pollen off your furniture, clothes, etc which it may stain. Anthers are easily removed by gently pulling away from the filament. Don’t use scissors to cut the anther or this will leave a short stubby filament.

Welcome spring into your home with your own big beautiful bouquet of lilies and adorn them in your own reclaimed wood vase! You can pick up lilies really in any local flower shop near you, even your local grocery store or garden center.

Spring Cleaning Inside the Home

2013-04-23T09:07:00.001-04:00

The other day I shared my to do list for the outside of our home. The to do list doesn’t stop there. Inside the home we have a lot to do to jump start our summer too.

It’s easiest to start planning all you have to do by making a list to stay organized. Our list is:
Declutter - Out with the old. It’s time to box up, donate, and get rid of all the extra things that have stored up over the past year. Each room will be attacked, including the attic and garage.
Deep Clean – I want to do a thorough clean of our house to get rid of all the winter germs, and start the summer off fresh.
Organize – Once everything is clean, it’s time to organize and find a spot for everything. It’s easier to stay organized and clutter-free when everything has a spot to go.
Check the details – It’s a good reminder as the season changes to be sure your home is up to date on safety and health features. Change your air filters, check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and check your fire extinguisher. You can also find a local company that can do a check on your water heater, and HVAC system or air conditioner to make sure it’ll work properly during the hot summer months. Another good idea is to check your exterior water lines for any damage that may have occurred over the winter.

I was recently asked to try out SC Johnson’s latest innovative product that makes cleaning a breeze, the Smart Twist™ cleaning system. When I saw that it was one unit that combined three awesome cleaning products I knew it was going to save me time, and money so I was all about it.

Curious what this awesome gadget is? With the Smart Twist™ Cleaning System, you have three amazing cleaners in one convenient and easy to use sprayer and you are ready for any room. Twist, Spray, and Wipe and you are ready for the next surface. You are in, out and back to what you really want to do. And that’s exactly why it saves you so much time!

The Smart Twist™ Cleaning System is currently available online only and they are offering Free Shipping on orders over $24.99 (saving money again!)
They offer the system in ready to go bundles that make it easy to target certain areas of your home:
Kitchen/Bath $24.99: The Sprayer plus one each of Windex® Glass Cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Cleaner and fantastik® Kitchen Cleaner concentrate cartridges.
Living Space $24.99: The Sprayer plus one each of Windex® Glass Cleaner, Pledge® Furniture Cleaner and Shout® Carpet Cleaner concentrate cartridges to fill the system.
A “Cover Every Base” Pack $34.99: You’ll get the Sprayer, two Windex® Glass Cleaner concentrate cartridges, and one each of Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Cleaner, fantastik® Kitchen Cleaner, Pledge® Furniture Cleaner and Shout® Carpet Cleaner concentrate cartridges.
In addition you can buy 2 replacement bottles for $7.99, or 3 for $11.99.

I was excited to receive the “Living Space” bundle, which is perfect for so many areas in my home. It was the perfect reason to give my office space a thorough cleaning which has been needed for a while. My son has been dying of excitement to try this out since I opened the box (which is always a plus to have him helping out!). What I loved most is how convenient it is to have three of my most loved cleaners in one handy unit. My office space is upstairs so instead of hauling a tub full of cleaners I can just grab the sprayer and some paper towels and I have no excuses not to clean.

Windows, desk, and carpet all cleaned in under five minutes.

Not only does the Smart Twist™ save you time and money, but SC Johnson is making your cleaning ways more earth friendly. Each bottle is 25% post-consumer plastic and uses 64% less plastic than a standard trigger bottle. By using the concentrate version of your favorite cleaner you add your own tap water and is equivalent to the standard trigger size bottle.

Please visit SC Johnson Smart Twist™ Cleaning System's webpage HERE to learn more and to purchase your own system!

This post is sponsored by SC Johnson and I received the mentioned product to review. As always, all opinions are mine and I only share products and companies I truly love!

My Spring into action To Do list

2013-04-19T09:02:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung in this part of town and my spring cleaning to do list has already gotten pretty long! Not only do I have the usual cleaning to do inside (by the way I’m getting ready to show you guys some new awesome cleaning products I’ve been using, super excited about them), but I have LOTS to do outside.

Being a homeowner can be a LOT of work and not always glamorous and fun! I wanted to share my home maintenance to do list with you in case it sparked any ideas to help you keep your home looking extra nice on the outside.

First my sad sad little garden in the front. Can you even call it that? I need to figure out this year what to do with it, I’ve never found flowers that work well combined with the already-there bushes. Plus, see that red dotted line, that’s where the garden border is supposed to be, however weeds have taken over. I also have to get to the store and pick up some mulch before it’s too late!

Next, our garage has taken a beating. Not sure what caused our paint to chip so bad because our neighbors (house built around the same time) isn’t nearly as bad. So I’ll be taking a sanding block to it and giving it a new fresh paint of coat.

Here’s where I start getting REALLY embarrassed. Do you see all that filth? YUCK! Nastiness of all shades and textures have started growing on our siding and it needs to get blasted off with a power wash. I’m keeping my eyes on Groupon for this local company that runs specials that I’ve heard does an awesome job. That’s one project I’m not willing to risk DIYing it wrong, pressure washers can be intense. But our house needs a good scrub.

The front door needs a little paint touching up too. I’ve been tempted to maybe try a new fun color, but our house siding is this pale yellow color, and the shutters and front door are this deep maroon. I haven’t really been able to choose a color that’d match the yellow nicely, or even the shutters if I wanted to just have the door be a feature piece in a different color. What do you think?

And going hand in hand with the filth that grew on our house, our backyard fence needs a good bath too. ICK I can’t stand that type of mildew/mold whatever it’s technically called.

Luckily we’ve been having AWESOME weather so I really hope to get these projects done soon and have a squeaky clean house soon. I’ll have some tips for cleaning the inside of your home soon too, including improving your air quality.

I also may be prepping for a garage sale too… time to clean out the attic.

Since I’ve embarrassed myself a lot already showing the filth that is the outside of our home, I wanted to share one of my most hated parts of our home. Pure embarrassment. Everyone, meet our sorry excuse of a back patio.

A concrete slab, mismatched patio chairs, a free curb alert table, and Jackson’s toys thrown about with a HVAC system loud and in charge. (I hang my head in shame).

Filling Wall Space with some Wood Working Skills

2013-04-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

How often do you stare at a wall in your home, knowing you want SOMETHING there but no clue what. There’s always a million options, a piece of art, a gallery wall, shelves, a piece of furniture, your kid’s boogers (oh wait that is what’s there already). Well our stairwell, and upstairs hallway has always been that place for me in this home.

At the very top of the stairs there’s a wall space that you stare at coming up the stairs and it drove me insane being just this blank wall. But it also is the end wall of a very long hallway, so I didn’t want to do a big gallery wall as I may do something along those lines down the hall eventually. So I decided to do some wood working and try my hands at a very well known shelf tutorial, Ana White’s $10 shelves.
I think it turned out great and creates such a feature piece now that holds a variety of pieces I love to look at like our family pictures, some of our favorite Beatle lyrics, and a classy vintage mirror.

It also conveniently hides our ugly thermostat too!

These things are CRAZY easy to make! Her instructions are super simple and easy to follow, I just made one change when I made mine. I used my Kreg Jig to be sure the strength of the shelf would stand the test of time. I wanted to make a long shelf to fill the space and have it come out from the wall about 4”. The amount of frames I’d putting on it I was a tad worried about that weight causing the boards to separate over time, so I just used my fancy shmancy Kreg Jig to have it be extra strong.

It’s 6 feet long, 4” wide and I painted the finished piece Ivory Lace from Sherwin Williams (my favorite almost white paint color). I love the depth of the shelf, it lets me layer pictures and signs to add even more appeal for the eyes. It’s already time to update the pictures though! Baby girl needs to get up there with us!

I also made two smaller versions of these for Baby Kenzie’s room too and just stained them for a more rustic look.

What do you think?? Do you have any blank wall space you think you could whip these shelves up for?

Converting a Recessed Light to a Hanging Pendant Light

2013-04-03T10:00:00.001-04:00

Recessed lighting can be a great feature to have in a home, especially in the kitchen. It’s a convenient way to provide a lot of light without taking up space. We have a good size kitchen with lots of open space and within the kitchen area we had 6 recessed lights so that’s quite a bit of light for an open layout. This allowed us though to play with the idea of changing out some of those recessed lights and replace with hanging pendants for more feature pieces during our kitchen makeover. We had the perfect spots for them too, two above our breakfast bar, and one above our kitchen sink.
You don’t need to have any previous electrical experience to change out a recessed light to a pendant because there are converter kits on the market that make the process super easy. Plus, I’m gonna show you how we did it step by step!

Keep in mind that each kit may vary slightly, and your specific conditions may vary from mine. But generally, each step should be about the same.

We used the Burnes Lighting Recessed Light Convert Kit and found it at my local Lowe’s and came with these following pieces:

Remember safety first! Cut to off the electricity to your lights before you begin.

This is a picture heavy tutorial so you should be able to understand how to do it just by seeing the pictures but just in case I’ll describe too! Again, your specific converter kit may slightly vary, and you should always reference the original instructions when doing your own project. But this is how I did it with the Burnes kit:

Removing the can from the recessed light is easy, just pry it down slightly from the ceiling and you’ll see two metal clamps that you’ll want to pinch, and then pull down. The whole can part will come down and then you’ll see on the light bulb attachment piece, two more clamps. Push those and you’ll be able to remove the outer can piece.

From the kit, screw in the wire set that has the light bulb attachment piece. One end will screw into the light bulb piece, the other will have a metal clasp on it. This piece is what you’ll screw into the side of the metal can that’s recessed in the ceiling to keep everything upward.
This next step was what we found to be the easiest to install the ceiling attachment piece. We held up the part that screws into he ceiling and made three marks evenly spaced around the piece.

Next using a 1/8th drill bit (teeny tiny one) we pre-drilled the marks we made. The reason we did this step wasn’t for the anchors we were using but double checking we were going to be able to completely drill in those spots. Each can light has a metal box that’s attached to it that houses all the electrical wiring. Where that box is located can vary light to light so there may be a few spots that you wouldn’t be able to screw an anchor into because you’d hit the box. Doing these pre-drills double checks that we have the all clear and won’t run into any problems.

The kit comes with the anchors pictured on the right. For these ones you have to predrill and then push the anchors inward and they pressure out to “anchor” the screw when inserted. However, I typically use these EZ anchors whenever I can. They’re heavy duty, plus super easy to use. You just use a standard screw driver to screw them in and that’s it. So, we swapped out the provided anchors for these EZ Anchors.

Next attach the wire set from the provided kit and plug into the piece that you previously attached to the side of the can. This has three coated wires that have exposed ends, and these are what you’ll attach your light fixtures wires too.

TIP: The kits cover comes white, but we painted it the same color as our ceiling to help blend in the unit.

Next, use the provided parts from your light fixture and the piece that would attach to the ceiling , you attach to the cover piece of the converter kit.

These steps will vary depending on your specific light fixture, but just follow the instructions for your specific piece and it should be easy to understand.

You’re almost done, just connect the proper wires and attach the cap!

The kitchen before:

And after: I think the hanging pendant lights really fill the space, and help bring the space together!

Pretty easy to do especially for not needing any special electrician skills. Again, remember to play safe and turn off the power to your lights, and then of course once you’re done to turn it back on.

Do you agree? Do you think changing out the lights was a good idea for our space?

How to Make Baby Leg Warmers

2013-03-25T08:19:00.001-04:00

I don’t sew. It scares me. I’d rather handle a circular saw than a sewing machine. But I sucked it up to try my hand at this Baby To Do I’ve wanted to make for Baby Kenzie.

I have some adorable headbands, diaper covers, tutu’s and tights to be sported by her, but I haven’t found any leg warmers that fit her tiny size yet. So I figured I could make my own and the easiest way too!

I bought these size 4 toddler socks that were on clearance – they were like $2 for both pairs! Using fabric scissors I cut off the foot part of the sock. I cut straight across just above the heel.

Then I flipped the longer tube piece inside out, and folded down the cut edge down so that I could sew a hem along this side.

I just did a straight, even tension stitch all the way around the edge. Because it’s tube shaped just be sure you’re taking your time and not sewing the opposite side.

Originally I was going to just stop here and have them be SUPER easy! But I wanted to add one more simple touch and grabbed some Martha Stewart lace ribbon I had on hand.

I cut a piece of ribbon the length of around the hemmed edge and pinned it in place so it was easier to sew.

That’s it! Once that was attached just flip it right side and you’re all done and your baby will have warm – and adorable – dressed legs!

Not only are they super cute, but they’re really practical! Instead of constantly having to take on and off little baby pants for every diaper change, I have free access to the onesie for quick and easy changes, but her legs stay warm.

St. Patrick’s Day Art with your kids! Letting them help start to finish

2013-03-15T09:41:00.002-04:00

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t usually a holiday I’ll decorate for, but thought it’d be an easy way to let me 4 year old son have some kid-friendly fun and get a little decorating done too!

That beautiful painting… my talented 4 year old made that!

It was super easy, and the best part is I let him have total control. Sometimes when we do arts and crafts I feel bad when there’s a bunch of do’s and don’ts and he doesn’t just get to have total fun. So for this one, I let him just paint right on our floor and didn’t worry about any mess during it.

I used my Silhouette to cut out a vinyl “lucky” and adhered it to the flat canvas board. Making sure there’s a tight seal so paint won’t bleed underneath it too.

Then I let him have it! I picked a bunch of different shades of green paint and told him to have as much fun as he wanted

Here’s the mess I was left with afterwards, but I wasn’t worried….

Thanks to our Swiffer Wet/Dry mop! This is their two in one version where you can use both the wet wipes, and the duster wipes with one unit.

Best part of the easy clean up? My 4 year old wanted to do that too!!! He cleaned up the entire mess by himself, plus kept moping the floor for about another half hour.

Once the painting was dry, I peaked up the vinyl lettering to reveal the white “lucky”.

I absolutely love having my son’s artwork as the main feature piece in our decorating! He is so proud of it every time he walks in and see’s it. Again, having an easy clean up makes the whole project that much more fun so I’m not watching over him saying don’t make a mess,…. watch what you’re doing,…. don’t do that….

Another P&G product I absolutely love – and always have on hand is Magic Erasers. Sometimes my son’s messes won’t just land on the floor but can end up on the walls too and those things make it SUPER easy to clean up! My other favorite use for them is after I hang a piece of art in our home…

I know there’s like a hundred easy ways to hang things on Pinterest but I still resort to my trust pencil and level marks. BUT, I often am left with visible marks on the wall after the piece is up. Thanks to Magic Erasers, those are easy to remove too! I don’t know what our parents did before Magic Erasers were created! I always have so many of these on hand.

Now I want to give you guys the chance to win two of my favorite cleaning products! I’ve teamed up with P&G and Home Depot to offer a great DIY painting #ReadyDoneClean Prize Pack for you guys! The prize pack includes a Swiffer Sweeper kit, Magic Eraser set, and a $25 Home Depot gift card to pick up any extra painting supplies you need!

Use the rafflecopter below to enter for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’ve teamed up with P&G and Home Depot for this post, but just as always I only share products I LOVE with you guys!
You can find all of your painting supplies, including the Swiffer Sweeper and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, at The Home Depot near you. Be sure to visit HomeDepot.com for more painting and DIY tips.

How to Stencil your Ceiling–the EASY way!

2013-02-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite additions to the nursery was deciding to paint the ceiling. It truly brought drama to the room in a unique way, that was fairly easy to do! Yes, I said it, it was easy to do.
Honestly, if I was 8 months pregnant and could do it in a weekend, I believe ANYONE can do this!

I turned to my favorite company for stencils – Cutting Edge Stencils and asked them if they had any Chevron stencils. They had exciting news that they were just launching their newest stencil which was two sizes of the chevron. You can order your own CES Chevron stencil if you’re loving this pattern was much as me!

So now you’re wondering how I managed to tackle this insane project aren’t you.
My first pointers:
Be sure you have one to two full days of uninterrupted time to dedicate to the project.
Take your time, and be ready to be patient.

Materials:
Chevron stencil from Cutting Edge Stencil
Painters Tape
4” Dense Roller Brush
Paint of choice (I used Modern Master’s Metallic Paint in Warm Silver)
Ladder
Music (for your entertainment)
Water (to keep hydrated)
Spray adhesive (optional – I didn’t use this)

I started in the corner and lined up the stencil. My ceiling is a textured surface, knock down, so it did make the project a little more challenging, but again… do able.
I used little bits of tape on the back side of the stencil to help hold it up, and then used tape on the edges of the stencil as you can see the below image.
You can use spray adhesive and just spray the back side of the stencil, let it sit for a minute and then adhere to the ceiling too. I didn’t because spray adhesive can be pretty strong smelling and needs good ventilation. Because I was 8 months pregnant I just used tape, and had VERY minimal bleeds.

This was my first time using metallic paint and I LOVED it! Modern Masters Metallic paint was really easy to roll on and left minimal stroke marks. The quart size was about $25, and after I finished the whole project I only used about half of the jar.

Just as with any time you stencil, you want minimal paint on your roller brush. The more you soak up in the brush the more risk you have of bleeding with the stencil. It’s better to go with less, and to do multiple light coats if you need. This will keep your lines sharp and crisp.

My next biggest and most useful tip I can suggest is this:
After I finished rolling each stencil I took down the stencil and put it face down and wiped down the edges of the stencil that had any paint build up. This helps keep the stencil clean and your lines crisp.
Then I flipped the stencil over and let the front side dry for about a minute. Take your time and this is where patience will pay off. This is when I took advantage of rest time and laid on the ground each time for a few seconds. This let me relax my shoulders and neck. Honestly, I think taking this time is what saved me from getting so sore!

After about a minute it was time to put the stencil back up and move into the next area!

I moved along the back wall of the room, moved the stencil over each time, taking my time to line each line up with each other.

There were a few spots (along all the edges of the walls mostly) that I was unable to complete with the stencil. This is where a little more patience comes in. I just used painters tape and lined up the remainders of the stripes to the edge of the wall.
In addition, the little tears of tape is where I’d mark where I needed to go back and do any necessary touch ups. I left these pieces of tape as I did each section so I knew exactly where to go back and do touch ups when I was finished.

The next hardest “trick” I had to realize was when I started the next rows of stencils I had to continue to line it up with the previous paint lines, and not the edge of the wall. You’d think contractors and builders would make walls that were straight… apparently not.
Along both walls I had to follow the stencil and not the edge of the wall otherwise the stencil wouldn’t line up.

Slowly but surely I made way through the entire room. Once I reached the end, the stencil wouldn’t fit up to the last wall so I had to hand stencil the last row of chevron.
I just measured the width of the painted rows and the width between the painted rows and at each peek, made these marks and used painters tape to connect all the dots.

In this last picture you can see where two stencils lined up with the metallic paint and roller brush marks. I just went back with the brush and painted in the opposite direction with the paint to cover these lines and blend spots together.

This project took me about two days to do, I painted most of it the first day, and left touch ups and final paint spots to the second day.

I couldn’t stop coming into her room to look at the ceiling for weeks after I finished this project! It made SUCH an impact in the room and is so unique I LOVE it. Plus in a nursery, what a GREAT design and pattern for a baby to be able to look at, considering they spend all their time on their backs anyways… they may as well have a gorgeous ceiling to look at.

I cannot urge you enough to take the leap and do amazing projects like this! I always think of big projects like this as the process may be a lot of work – but it’s a weekend’s worth of work for years and years of big payoff! In our case, about 10 months of pay off as we’ll be moving by the end of the year probably BUT – until then I get to enjoy the work.

And seriously I WAS 8 MONTHS PREGNANT AND DID THIS – you can too!

Please feel free to ask any questions if you’re thinking about tackling your own stenciling project!

You can see the wide selection of stencils from Cutting Edge Stencils here.
They also share amazing inspirational projects on their Facebook page all the time so be sure to like them!
While you’re on Facebook you should be sure to like my page too if you don’t already!

Baby Makenzie’s One Week Old!

2013-02-14T11:03:00.001-05:00

It’s been one week since Baby Makenzie blessed our family! She is such a sweetheart that continuously melts my heart and surprises me at how much I can love this new addition to our family.
She has been a wonderful baby from day one! We had a rough couple first nights when we brought her home, but by the third night she graced us with three hour sleeping periods and has been on that pattern since.

The most sweetest thing she does is what’s called the smile twitch. It’s a natural reflex they do in their sleep, and gives a sweet soft smile and she does it alllll the time. I can’t wait to see her first “real” smile.

We did a little fun photo shoot today for her One Week Birthday.

Here’s a few I’ve snapped over the past week too.

In the hospital we had Grandma, Papa and big brother Jackson come visit us. Do you know what true love is? Because I witnessed it when I saw how sweet Jackson was as a big brother towards his new baby sister Makenize.
He adored her so much the second he saw her and has been so gentle with her, giving her kisses every morning and night. Constantly calls her “so adorable” and “so cute”. He shares all his stuffed animals with her and makes sure she’s okay anytime she cries.

I’ve never been more proud of my family, and my son to see the love towards our newest addition.

Baby Makenize in her going home outfit…. she wasn’t a fan at this point of the camera yet.

Jackson as a proud big brother.

Baby Kenzie’s first sponge bath at home.

Not too sure about this bath thing…

She is such a sweetheart she melts my heart every time I look at her. And I’ve refallen in love with my husband seeing him be a new parent again. It’s so much different than when you have your first.

All the nerves and fears of how to handle a baby are gone. My husband was amazing the second he held her. He was confident, and loved her, and knew how to care for her. In the hospital he was always two steps ahead of me and ready with anything I, or Kenzie needed. I was in awe at the amazing father and husband he was.

I’ve been having a rough week with recovery from labor, and breastfeeding. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve had family here helping us every day, and again my husband has been so supportive and helping me in every way.

I’m taking every day by day and trying to get stronger to be a good mom to both my children. This past week has been amazing having two children. I know everyone has warned me having two children is so different, and can be so hard. But so far, it’s amazing. I have two of the most sweetest children and couldn’t be more proud of Jackson as a big brother.

Baby Girl’s Nursery: The what, the where, and the goods!

2013-02-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Half the fun of putting together this nursery was finding unique pieces that came together so well. It wasn’t until I started adding in accessory pieces that the pink tones even entered the room. The ceiling, walls, and big pieces were all beiges and taupes. I loved starting with a soft neutral backdrop and then being able to add in small pieces here and there to add in a feminine touch for her.

I wanted to do a full low down of shopping list of where I got everything in the nursery, or how I DIY’d different projects.

Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Cedar Key
Ceiling Paint: Modern Master’s Metallic paint in Warm Silver

Crib: Babyletto Modo
Bedding: Custom bedding by The Heart of Hope Etsy Shop
Painting: Custom painting by Ashley Bridger Designs
Frame: Luckett’s Flea Market Sale
Ceiling Light: Ivory Shade with Crystals Semi Flush Light from Lamps Plus

Clock: Rainbow Colors Wall Clock from Shades of Light
Baby Chair: Cream Sherpa First Anywhere Chair from PB Kids
Curtains: Steel Grey Curtains from Overstock
Rug: Modern Damask from Rugs USA

Nursery Rocker: Newco International Studio Recliner (I scored this beauty on clearance marked from $900 down to $250!)
Pillow: TJ Maxx Home Goods
Shelves: DIY’d using Ana White’s $10 Shelf tutorial

Gallery Wall: Frames collected from Target and TJ Maxx Home Goods
Printables: Random sales from Zulily.com
Changing Table: Purchased from local furniture dealer, remade antique dresser
Flower Dresser Knobs: Rosy Knobs from Anthropolgie
Changing Pad Cover: Carter’s Wildlife Changing Pad in Beige

Let me know if there’s any questions!!!

It’s almost time to do that yearly cleaning–spring time!

2013-02-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Have you guys started thinking about all that needs to be done around your home for Spring Cleaning? I sure have! It might be our warmer weather we’re having, or the serious “nesting” phase I’m going through the final days before Baby Girl is due. But, I’ve started to put together a big long To Do list once the spring days are here.

I’ve already started to do a few of the do’s because of the recent cold/flu season that passed I just wanted to get a fresh slate for our home as we bring a newborn into it. I was recently sick with a pretty bad cold and after I got rid of it I just felt like scrubbing our house ceiling to ground. Okay, I actually didn’t feel like doing it at all… but I wanted it done. I actually hired a cleaning crew that came in and cleaned our entire home. First time I ever did it, and I went off and got my nails done during it. Not a bad day I tell ya!

Having them come in and clean our house was a nice start to a fresh clean home, but only part of it. The other part is home maintenance that can keep your home healthy and clean for you, and everyone living in it. One area specifically that can make a big impact is the air quality in your home! We have forced heating/cooling in our home so we have the filters in the ceiling that you have to switch out every 3 months. This is our first home having them, and when we moved in I was all “piece of cake I’ll totally be able to do that”. Yah well, as I peek in the one that’s downstairs it’s covered in dust and needing to seriously be changed, I think it’s been like a year – seriously.

You guys ready for this? Do YOU SEE THAT FILTH! ugh, nasty.

When those air filters become clogged and full of dust the air quality in your home will drop drastically as the clean air isn’t able to pass through properly. This can effect your heating and cooling of your home, driving up your electricity costs even! They’re supposed to be changed out every 3 months, last time I changed mine was …. about a year ago. YIKES.

It’s easy to do, yet one of those tasks that goes undone over and over. We always use Filtrete Filters because of how they’re made. A lot of my friends will use the no name pleated filters but after some quick research you’ll learn that Filtrete brand is 4 times better filters than the generic ones. What exactly does that mean? Well it means more $ in your pocket, and better air quality for your family and friends in your home. Other electrostatically charged filters with similar ratings (the other brands that state they’re #1 and cost WAY more than Filtrete) are actually tightly woven pleats/filters that actually restrict airflow in the heating and cooling system. This drives your system to work harder to produce the proper air flow, driving up your bill, and wearing your system down faster. My real estate agent actually even told us that during our tour of this home when we said we never have used forced heating/cooling.

So what am I doing this year to help be sure our home is clean for our newborn and the rest of our family? Besides frequent cleaning to remove dust and allergens I’m forcing myself to remember to change out our Filtrete filters way more often as as they should be.
Want to know my new secret to remembering to do it every 3 months? One of my FAVORITE home maintenance websites – BrightNest.com.

If you’re not familiar with BrightNest.com I highly suggest you familiarize yourself immediately. Not only is it full of useful home maintenance information, tips, how to’s, and articles but you can set reminders to yourself to do certain duties around the house! It’ll alert you of new reminders via email, and also will include any typical home maintenance seasonal updates that may need to be done around your home like check your smoke detectors, checking for mold, inspecting your fire extinguishers and easy routine cleaning tips.
Here’s a quick snapshot of their information about changing out your air filters:

And see that little calendar icon and Set Reminder button? Yup that’s where the magic happens. Just set yourself a reminder when you need to swap our your next Filtrete Filters in your home and you’ll be sent an email as the time comes.

Could I make it easier for your to have a healthier, safer, and cleaner home? Nope!
BUT – actually, Filtrete Filters is having this awesome contest with Mike Holmes right now! A Filtrete Healthy Home Remodel Contest!

Grand prize winner will receive $30,000 worth of home inspections, repairs and renovations by a Holmes Group approved contractor. In addition there will be four first prize winners that’ll receive $5,000 cash to put towards home repairs! Contest is up and running from now until June 30th, 2013.
How to enter:
Visit Facebook.com/Filtrete
- Explain in 1,000 words or less why YOUR home is deserving of a healthier home remodel and include two pictures to support your essay.

What a way to do some serious “spring cleaning” but to win $30,000 in home repairs to a new and improved clean home.

You can also follow Filtrete on Twitter @Filtrete, or visit their website, www.filtrete.com to receive e-newsletter updates featuring special offers and healthy home tips!

That’s right, I’m a Filtrete Filter gal! This is a sponsored post featuring 3M’s Filtrete Air filters, but I’m also gushing about them because I love them and loving sharing products I use myself with you!

Baby Girl’s Nursery! The big reveal!!

2013-02-04T10:01:00.000-05:00

Where do I begin?

I have been hinting at this room for the past 9 months! You guys have been SOOO patient with me! I have been asking questions, posting teaser pictures, sharing my shopping wish list, talking NON STOP about this nursery ever since I found out we were having a little baby girl!

Well, I can finally say it’s FINISHED and just in time for Miss Baby Girl to make her appearance (hear that missy, it’s TIME FOR YOU TO COME!)

I’ll just jump right in and share TONS of pictures with you guys! Ill do a quick little shopping list with you at the bottom but will definitely be following up with a more in depth source list of where I got everything, and all the little DIY’s that I did in this room. For now, let’s all drool over this room that is MADE for my PRINCESS !

Source List:
Ceiling Stencil: Cutting Edge Stencil – Large Chevron
Ceiling Paint – Modern Metallic’s Warm Silver
Wall Color – Benjamin Moore Cedar Key
Crib – Babyletto Modo
Wall Clock: Shades of Light
Crib Bedding: Custom made by The Heart of Hope
Crown Painting: Custom created by Ashley Bridger Designs
Ceiling Chandelier: Lamps Plus

By the way about two years ago I first revealed this room in my “quick makeover” that I did as a guest room under a budget. To see what it USED to look like check here!

More posts to follow up so stay tuned!

Sharing via a few of my favorite parties!
Tutorials & Tips - Home Stories A to Z

The end is near and Baby Girl is almost here!

2013-01-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

Initially I was supposed to do those cute chalkboard updates for my bump pics, but that lasted two whole weeks. Instagram updates were faster and easier – my style during pregnancy. I love having this and want to get it developed as a picture collage – so cute for Baby Girl’s scrapbook! (yeah like that’s ever happening, if I don’t have one for my first child I can’t expect myself to do it for my second). #ohwell

I can’t believe it. I’m finally to the end!

I always thought those woman that said I miss being pregnant were CRAZY… but in a sense I think I get it a little now. I had a rough start to this pregnancy. I was so sick up until 24 weeks and NEEDED Zofran every 8 hours religiously. I had every “pregnant with a girl symptom” in the book. I was emotional, I got acne, I was super sick, I got heart burn, I craved tons of sweets and chocolate.
I also got dozens of leg cramps every night, had the vivid weird dreams, and hourly pee breaks all night.

(Me – just about every night)

It was 100% opposite from my first pregnancy. And I think that’s what I’m going to miss. I think it’s hysterical (now that I’m to the end) that a little baby girl growing inside me could COMPLETELY change me as a person.
This little sweetheart has made me eat more Caramel Milky Ways than I could count, she had me eating dark chocolate dipped in vanilla frosting straight from the can. (I had to throw it away in order to stop eating it… and even that barely stopped me). She even got me to eat spicier food than I normally can. I see it as a big forecast to the future… I believe she’ll be changing me in more ways than I can count as she continues to grow.

Jackson has been the love of my life for the last four years, and it almost scares me to think of someone else coming into our lives to share that love. Except I know my love will continue to grow more than I even thought possible. I cannot wait to see Jackson as a big brother. I cannot wait to see my husband be the father to his daughter. I cannot wait to see what this beautiful little girl will look like.

I keep trying to imagine where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing when I first realize I’m actually in early labor. I woke up with contractions at about 5am three days before J’s due date and wasn’t really sure if I was in labor, or just hopeful. I eased into the labor fairly easy as I was able to get a full nights rest before the big day and slowly just let the contractions get closer as I walked, napped and took baths all day.

This time I keep picturing things like me being at Lowe’s and having my water break. Or headed to the store to pick out my final can of frosting and keeling over from contraction pain (the braxton hicks have been PAINFUL this time around).
Who knows how it’ll happen, I just hope it happens sooner than later! And on that note I thought it’d be fun to do a little PB&J reader poll of when Baby Girl will grace us with her presence!
When do you think???

FacebookTwitterInstagram

Also, I hope to be sharing Baby Girl’s nursery soon so stay tuned for that too!!

And the winner is....!

2013-01-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

We want to give a big HUGE THANK YOU to all of our AMAZING sponsors for our New Year, New Home, Big Room MakeOver Giveaway! Thank you so much for making this giveaway possible!! These are all amazing companies who we as bloggers LOVE working with!

Please take a moment to visit these great companies:

Lamps Plus
ClosetMaid
Lowe's

Flor Carpet Tiles
Payless Decor

DecoArt
Linen and Oak

Cost Plus World Market

Expressions Vinyl

Jacquard Products

Wallpaper for Windows

DownEast Home

Giani Countertops

Rod Works

Cutting Edge Stencils

Scentsy (Mary Kilber)

Shaped Expressions

Poppy and Pinecone

Signs by Andrea

Royal Design Studio
Orange Blossom Frames
U-Stripe It Design Dazzle Shop
Girl in Air HomeGoods

And now...for the moment we've all been waiting for...the WINNERS!

Winner of the #1 Room MakeOver Giveaway Prize Package valued at $1,519 is:

Jenni Wilson Heath who likes Someday Crafts on Facebook

Winner of the #2 Room MakeOver Giveaway Prize Package valued at $1,508 is:

Jaimee Dart Ulmer who likes How to Nest for Less on Facebook

CONGRATULATIONS! You have 48 hours to contact me (Ashley) at simplydesigning@gmail.com in order to claim your prize or a new winner will be picked. I also want to thank all the FABULOUS women who worked so hard to put this great giveaway on! We would love it if you took a moment to follow us!

How to Nest for Less, Lolly Jane, Mine for the Making, PB&Jstories, Project Inspire,

Sand and Sisal, SAS Interiors, Simply Designing, Someday Crafts, Two Twenty One,

Cherished Bliss, Design Dazzle, Design Dining and Diapers

Our Kitchen Makeover–small changes make a big impact!

2013-01-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

I am SO excited to finally be sharing this with you guys!!!!

This isn’t some HUGE before and after reveal as our “before” kitchen was still pretty good. It was just cookie cutter, “fine” and didn’t really have our personality in it yet. However just with any of the projects we do for this home, our goals are to turn it from a “house” into our “home”. We know we’ll be leaving soon so I didn’t want to invest a lot of money and time into the kitchen and make it into my dream kitchen only to turn around and sell it within a year.
Instead we planned out the easiest ways to give a kitchen personality and a new life, and executed it in about one weekend!

Here’s a few before shots – and as usual my before shots aren’t “prettied” up… they’re our live in style… how it looks day in and day out.
Do you see that refrigerator?! That’s a family-inspired refrigerator

As you can see, great backbones. Nice tall cherry cabinets, vinyl countertops that aren’t terrible, and pretty good appliances. When we moved in dishwasher, stove/oven, microwave and sink were all “contractor grade” appliances. The sink especially was nothing special. The dishwasher was loud and having an open floor plan that was kind of a drag, but we just ran it at night (actually quite dangerous to do). What prompted our kitchen makeover was when our dishwasher broke and we had someone come give us a quote to fix it, $250 to fix it… he kindly told us that the style of dishwasher that I was, was only about $200. SO, dishwasher shopping we went. Once we got a pretty new shiny QUIET dishwasher… the rest of the "non” upgraded kitchen seemed bland and started my itch to start a few other upgrades.

Here’s our pretty AFTER:

Did you see all the changes?! Here’s a quick checklist of what we did:
Added beautiful backsplash (Leonia Silver Glazed Porcelain Tile from Lowe’s)
Upgraded the sink (Moen Lancelot Drop In Sink)
Upgraded the faucet (Moen Kleo Faucet in Spot Resistant Stainless Steel)
Changed out the recessed lighting above the island to jaw-dropping pendant lights (Globe Industrial Lights from Shades of Light)
Changed out the recessed light above the sink for dramatic semi-flush light (Modern Semi Flush Ceiling light from Shades of Light)
Cleaned

Here’s a few detail shots:

We took out our old sink and basic kitchen faucet, and upgraded to these beautiful set from Moen. The faucet is Kleo model from Moen in their spot resistant stainless steel. It’s PERFECT. I loveeee the pull down hose, and the subtle detail in the handle. The finish is perfect for messy hands as it doesn’t show fingerprints.

I picked out this backsplash almost the DAY Lowe’s placed it on their shelves. I tried pulling it up online when I got home after picking it out and couldn’t find it anywhere. After asking during my next trip they told me they literally just placed it on their shelves and won’t be “launched” for a few months still… that’s just how much I loved it instantly!

Finding a backsplash that worked with the color of countertops and cherry wood was actually a big challenge. If you Google Cherry wood cabinet kitchens you’ll see the color scheme that’s typically done is this creme /yellow stone colored backsplash that I wasn’t crazy about. I LOVED how the silver backsplash plays off the stainless steel appliances, and lights… really brings in a modern feel into the kitchen.

Now for these lights! How BEAUTIFUL are these!!!???? I saw these online a long time ago and loved their shape, their color and their appearance. Then after seeing them in person as the Shades of Light local store I knew they’d be PERFECT for our island.

By the way do you see the melting pot of paint colors from this angle? – A challenge!

The light above the sink was a bit of a challenge to find the “perfect” one. I shopped online for weeks and couldn’t find one that fit. Until… once again, Shades of Light to the rescue! I went into their store with two specific lights in mind that I saw online, but seeing them in person, once again they didn’t seem right. Then I saw this one and barely even checked the price tag, I just knew it was finally the one that was going to tie the whole kitchen together.

The last change we did was paint the walls. I have Emily from Decor Chick for the easiest decision of my life… One early morning I was doing my morning blog read and read her post about the PERFECT greige color she made. I instantly knew it was going to be the perfect color for our kitchen blending our entryway, living room and kitchen colors together. And I was right, so a big thank YOU to her!

A big huge thank you to Moen and my sponsor Shades of Light for helping contribute to our kitchen makeover. While some of the products were received from them, they were top on our list to pick out ourselves. They’re the perfect additions for our kitchen makeover!

Linking up this reveal to a few of my favorite parties:
Craft o Maniac
House of Hempworths
The Shabby Creek Cottage

Epic News: A $3000 New Year New Home Giveaway!!!

2013-01-22T06:45:00.000-05:00

I am here guys! I am here and though I have been quiet lately - I am here ready to scream this exciting news from my rooftop!

I am bouncing off the walls excited to announce this New Year New Home Room Makeover Giveaway! I'm honored to have teamed together with this amazing group of ladies, and all these awesome companies to bring all this spectacularness to YOU!

New Year, New Home: $3,000+ ROOM MAKEOVER GIVEAWAY!

The prize package is huge (over $3,000!!) and includes everything you will need to update a room in your home! (Or spread the love out and update a few items in a few different rooms...your choice really!) In any case, it's huge, and fabulous and I can't wait to see who wins!!

It was SO HUGE we decided to split it into 2 Prize Packages!
Enter to win once, and have a chance at winning one of 2 prize packages!

Here is what the prize packages includes:

New Year, New Home: Epic Room Makeover Prize Packages

Valued at over $3,000!!

Linen and Oak: $60 gift card

Linen and Oak offers meticulously hand crafted home decor and pillows to help make your home beautiful.

Lowe's: $100 gift card

Lowe's offers everything you need to tackle your home improvement projects all in one place.

Cost Plus World Market: $50 gift card

Unique, authentic and affordable home decor and furniture.

Expressions Vinyl: $40 gift card

Your one-stop shop for all your vinyl and vinyl cutting machine needs at amazingly low prices.

Jacquard Products: $100 gift card

Jacquard Products in the leading manufacturer of artist quality textiles, mixed media and and craft products.

Wallpaper for Windows: $100 gift card

Wallpaper for Windows offers a wide variety of decorative, frosted and privacy window films to enhance the beauty and privacy of your home.

DownEast Home: $50 gift card

DownEast Home provides stylish and inexpensive home decor items that are sure to make your space into a warm and inviting home.

Giani Countertops: Granite counter top paint, $70 kit value

Granite paint to upgrade your counter tops to fabulous in just a few short hours.

Lamps Plus: $500 gift card

Lamps Plus has the largest selection of functional and decorative lighting, home accessories and furniture and has been providing great services nationwide for over 30 years.

Rod Works: $50 gift card

Renew your home with amazing home decor accessories available in store or online.

Cutting Edge Stencils: one stencil, up to $50 value

Cutting Edge Stencils offers stylish reusable stencils that are easy and affordable to work with - Great for Beginners

Scentsy (Mary Kilber): White Heirloom Warmer and Luna wax, $35 value

Safe Wickless Flameless Decorative Candles, smokeless and soot free ~ with Scentsy's wickless candle bars and electric warmers, you can enjoy all the sensory delights of scented candles without the dangers of an open flame.

Shaped Expressions: $50 gift card

Shaped Expressions offers fancy 'funk'tional picture frames in many shapes and sizes, both painted and unpainted to enhance the beauty of your home.

Poppy and Pinecone: (2) 8"x10" art prints, $44 value

Poppy and Pinecones offers original art prints for your home at great prices.

DecoArt: $220 value

DecoArt offers fabulous acrylic paint for artists, crafters and home decorators.

ClosetMaid: $300 gift card plus design services

ClosetMaid is a worldwide leader in home organization offering design and amazing systems for use in bedrooms, kitchens, family rooms, laundry rooms etc!

Payless Decor: $200 gift card

Payless Decor offers a great selection of window coverings from blinds, to shades and draperies at great prices.

Signs by Andrea: customized family rules subway digital art, $9 value

Hand-crafted personalized signs for your home and family.

Cost Plus World Market: $50 gift card

Unique, authentic and affordable home decor and furniture.

Expressions Vinyl: $40 gift card

Your one-stop shop for all your vinyl and vinyl cutting machine needs at amazingly low prices.

Flor Carpet Tiles: $200 gift card

Earth-aware consumers can create inspired living spaces through their own, unique composition of FLOR carpet design squares which provide the freedom and flexibility to create striking rug designs of any size or shape for every lifestyle.

Royal Design Studio: $100 gift card

Extraordinary stencils for inspired home decor.

Orange Blossom Frames: $100 gift card

Orange Blossom Shop is a one stop shop for fun and chunky frames, vinyl lettering, digital prints and party supplies.

U-Stripe It & Designs: $40 kit value

U-Stripe It's kit allows you to paint stripes, plaids and other patterns with ease and simplicity.

Design Dazzle Shop: $100 gift card

Design Dazzle Shop has great products for your kids spaces and fabulous party supplies! (shop opening soon)

Girl in Air: giant 24x36 Cedar Plank United States Map, $75 value

Etsy and local shop selling handmade home decor, stamped jewelry, hand painted signs and also a retailer for the Silhouette and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

HomeGoods: $100 gift card

HomeGoods is a store where savvy shoppers can discover a world of spectacular home products at great prices.

Poppy and Pinecone: (2) 8"x10" art prints, $44 value

Poppy and Pinecones offers original art prints for your home at great prices.

Lowe's: $150 gift card

Lowe's offers everything you need to tackle your home improvement projects all in one place.

So who wants to WIN!?!?

Giveaway Details

There is just ONE simple step to enter to win the Giveaway...

(3 steps if you want some killer bonus entries!)

1) Comment on this blog post and tell me which room you would makeover if you won! Then fill out the coordinating mandatory Rafflecopter entry below. Easy peasy.

2) For tons of extra entries, follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter entry form to Follow us ALL on Pinterest!
PINTEREST is becoming a household name and many amazing bloggers can be found on it! It is a great way to discover amazing DIY's, crafts, recipes and more etc. and ALL of these fabulous bloggers are must-follows in the world of Pinterest! They all pin (almost) daily and are constantly discovering new and incredible things! If you follow them, you'll be able to discover fabulous things too! Who wouldn't want to follow these amazing ladies!?!?!

3) For even more bonus entries, follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter entry form to Follow us ALL on Facebook!
We have pulled together an amazing group of bloggers and you'll be able to keep up on the latest trends, DIY, Craft and other fabulous ideas by following us all on Facebook!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We'd love for you to follow our blogs too: Cherished Bliss, Design Dazzle, Design Dining & Diapers, How to Nest for Less, Lolly Jane, Mine for the Making, PB&J Stories, Project Inspire, Sand and Sisal, SAS Interiors, Simply Designing, Someday Crafts, Two Twenty One

GOOD LUCK!

*Winning entries will be verified. This giveaway is in no way affiliated, administered or endorsed by Facebook or Pinterest. No information will be disclosed to Facebook or Pinterest by entering this giveaway. No purchase necessary to win. Odds of winning are based on number of entrants. Winner for each prize package will be chosen randomly through Rafflecopter. Prize packages will be awarded to two different people. Winner will be announced within 72 hours of giveaway closure on this blog post and winner will need to respond within 48 hours of announcement / email to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. Winner must be 18 years of age or older and a US citizen with a US mailing address in order to win. Winner is responsible for paying any necessary taxes on winnings. All prizes will be mailed / emailed / fulfilled by the sponsor and the blog owners involved are not held responsible if the prize is not fulfilled. A list of winners may be requested after the giveaway has ended. Please email me with any questions or to obtain additional information at: simplydesigning@gmail.com

2013 A New Year–Time for me to say hi!

2013-01-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

Have you been wondering where I am? Did I disappear with the New Year? Goodness my to do lists have been unmanageable and unfortunately it’s been way too long since I’ve been able to sit and write!

Here’s my biggest issue that puts breaks in-between my blog writing – I get caught up in writing about the perfect project from start to finish. I worry “update” posts will bore you and that’s not why you’re here. You’re here to see project reveals, and how to’s. I mean that is what started my entire blog. So, as finishing projects have become far and few between … so have my blog posts as I worry I have nothing interesting for my readers to read.

Yet, the blogs that I read on a daily basis are filled with “update” posts… check out this project “A” I’m working on, here’s a couple thoughts I had for today, check out this bloggers awesomeness that I saw that you may not have… All these type of posts I love reading on other blogs, but I worry – you won’t find those interesting on mine. Well, this my friends… this is my blogging resolution.
I’m obviously off to a rough start, but I’m about to go through a big life changing event and know the toll it’s going to take on me. Baby Girl is due in three weeks and I know the change having two kids will have on our life. I won’t be doing any major DIY projects for a while, I won’t be getting enough sleep to keep my eyes open longer than 5 minutes to write a blog post, I’ll be covered in baby vomit and diapers more than paint and sawdust. I’m okay with that (deep breathe, I think I’m okay with that)… but I don’t want to lose my connection to the blog, and to you guys. So, I want to re-find my voice here, find a “new” structure how to connect with you guys without having tons of tutorials and project reveals.

I hope you find the connection between us to be better, I hope that you find my little updates and posts in between the fun project reveals to be entertaining and amusing, rather than boring and uneventful as I fear.

I hope that we can stay connected over the next few months as I find new balance in the PB&J household bringing in our sweet Baby Girl. By the way – people have been asking since our pregnancy announcement if I’ll be changing the name of PB&Jstories. I don’t believe I will be, PB&Jstories started with our little family of three, and though it’s growing I think Baby Girl fits under the “stories” category”. I don’t want to lose the name of my blog and company quite yet. I haven’t found something that I feel fits for us, so until then we’ll continue to be PB&J + Baby Girl

Speaking of Baby Girls – I recently made a new sign that I’ll be listing in my Etsy shop upon returning from maternity leave. I’ll be temporarily closing the doors to PB&Jcreations Etsy Shop just for a maternity leave so I can truly rest and be the best mother to our two kids and try to recoup.

It’s one of my bigger signs 24”x24” and done in a rustic peach color with soft white writing, and of course lightly distressed.

My shop will be open for another two weeks so if you’re interested in this sign before it’s listed, just email me or contact me via my shop!

Well, I’d REALLY love to know what you’re thoughts are on my blog PBJstories.com. If you’d take the time to leave some feedback, let me know that you’re still here with me and willing to handle the slight structure change of my writing, I’d appreciate it from the bottom of my heart! I appreciate each and every one of my readers and and thankful to have you here to share everything, even my pointless rants, with

Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway $50 Value!

2012-12-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday you saw a sneak peek of Baby Girl’s Nursery which I used Cutting Edge Stencil’s newest design, the Large Chevron. Now today I have the chance for one of you guys to win a stencil of your choice up to a $50 value!!

If you’ve been thinking about trying a stenciling project yourself but nervous to take the leap I highly suggest you do it! Three of my all time favorite projects have been done using a stencil from CES, my stenciled curtains, my stenciled kitchen pantry and now baby girl’s ceiling.

What’s so great about Cutting Edge Stencils is they don’t just provide high quality – long lasting stencils. They have an entire blog dedication to inspirational ideas, and stenciling tips and tricks that will help you tackle any project.
For instance, if you have textured walls and nervous about tackling such a project, CES has a great post about how stenciling on textured walls. I also have a couple of my own tips from when I did my kitchen pantry about how to stencil on textured walls here.

Their newest addition to the stencil family is their Chevron pattern and they have an entire blog post dedicated to it to get the ideas flowing with how you can bring chevron into your home.

They also provide great informative videos like the one below that’ll help you get started on any project.

There’s really nothing stopping you now. You have a source for inspiration ideas, a source for tips and tricks how to get the perfect results, and now a source to get your own stencil! Enter now for your chance to win a stencil of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Accenting with Chevron! Sneak Peek at Baby Girl’s Ceiling

2012-12-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Are you guys ready to see one of my FAVORITE projects I’ve completed to date?! I’ve been working away in Baby Girl’s Nursery and a couple weekends ago I finished painting in here… painting the ceiling!

You may remember a little bit ago I was talking about the 5th wall, and started to dream up the idea of painting Baby Girl’s ceiling. Well thanks to Cutting Edge Stencils I received my motivation and got to it!

This is the 3rd time using a CES stencil and each and every time I’m so impressed with the quality and my results. Stenciling really does step up the WOW factor in any room of your home! I’ve also used their stencils for my stenciled curtains, and my stenciled kitchen pantry.

Well I immediately had the idea of doing chevron on the ceiling and so I messaged CES asking if they by chance had a chevron stencil that I just couldn’t see on their website. Their response, “it’s actually the NEXT stencil we’re adding to our collection!”. That’s’ what I call fate people! They have it in both a small chevron, and the large chevron pattern. I choose the large stencil and knew once I received it, there was no turning back. I was getting my 8 month pregnant buns up on a ladder to do some serious painting!

This is just a sneak peek (a pretty BIG sneak peek though!) But I am HEAD OVER HEELS in love with how it turned out! Honestly, I go in her room 500 times a day and just stare, and smile. It’s exactly what I was wanting for her room. If you follow me on Facebook and Instagram you know what weekend I tackled this project as I kept sending out updates. One so people knew I was still alive (like I said I was up on a ladder for a total of about 18 hours total that weekend) and two because I was just too excited to not keep posting teaser pictures.

I was actually REALLY surprised how great the stencil worked. My ceilings are a textured surface, just as our walls they have a knockdown texture to them which makes painting a challenge, and makes stenciling very challenging. I almost started the project assuming I’d use the stencil in the beginning but then just as a guide and would end up taping out the whole ceiling to just be able paint it out. However the stencil worked PERFECTLY! I had minimal bleeds and it ended up being so much easier to use than had I spent the time taping out the whole design.

I’m going to do another post filled with tons of tips and tricks of how I stenciled the ceiling because I did quickly learn things that made the process easier.
But for now, let’s kick back our heels and just look at how ADORABLE my Baby Girl’s ceiling is!

Now for some MORE good news! Come back tomorrow for a chance to win a FREE Cutting Edge Stencil, a $50 value!!! Visit their website here, and start searching for which one you’d pick and what project you’d do with it!

So I’ll see you tomorrow for the giveaway!

Merry Christmas!

2012-12-24T08:44:00.001-05:00

Does anyone feel like Christmas snuck up behind them this year?

Well Merry Christmas Eve day to everyone!
Today at the PB&J house, Billy is off at work for the day, through the night and into tomorrow. The military really doesn’t make it easy to celebrate holidays with family and friends.

So Jackson and I are going to bake some cookies, possibly go see a movie!
If we were back in Minnesota today we would be hanging out with both our families, and enjoying the family company.

Instead we’ll find time to Skype with all the families today and tomorrow.

Hope you have a WONDERFUL holiday and I want to leave you with some more fun pictures of our front patio holiday cheer.
Be sure to come back on Wednesday for a sneak peek of Baby Girl’s Nursery and an exciting announcement!

Weekend Craft Time with BabbaBox!

2012-12-17T14:18:00.000-05:00

Look what my 4 year old and I made this weekend! My weekends easily fill up with work, projects and checking off my To Do’s but this weekend I set aside some time to spend some fun crafting time with 4 year old. I recently had the opportunity receive a box of goodies from BabbaBox, and this fun kid’s craft is what we did with it!

BabbaBox is a special delivery package that arrives right at your front door that comes with lots of goodies and ideas for craft projects you can do with your children. When the package arrived and I told my son it was filled with a fun surprise for him he was VERY eager to see what was inside.

As you can see, each box is PACKED with goodies, and comes within a theme, ours was space and air. It had a fun toy for him, a special gift for parents, a great book, and two different craft projects. The greatest part about each craft project is that BabbaBox provides you with EVERYTHING you need for the project! There isn’t a single item in the project I needed to provide on my own – which is awesome and so convenient.

We decided to make the Moon Nightlight, and as I mentioned it does come with everything you need, including step by step instructions.

(Want to make this awesome Moon Nightlight with your kids? We did two layers of paper mache over a balloon leaving a two inch opening at the bottom of the balloon. After the paper mache dried overnight, we popped and removed the balloon from inside, and just had to reshape “moon” a little. Then just let it sit over a battery operated candle and watch the glowing action happen!)

It’s easy to get wrapped up in my weekend To Do’s so I loved having a specific project that my son and I were able to do with the convenience of all the necessities right there for us. He had a blast getting his hands messy with the paper-mache and watching the “moon” glow once we were done with the project.

A little more about BabbaBox:
BabbaBox is a box of creativity and inspiration that arrives right at your doorstep once a month and geared towards children 3-6 years of age. It helps inspire, drive and motivate kids to become hands on playing, while learning at the same time. Each box has four main components in it: Create (2-3 projects kids can do with their hands) Explore (a theme based product that’ll engage your child with the world and nature) Store Telling (curated books to stimulate your kids imagination) and Connect (interactive learning with prepaid downloads).
A monthly membership is only $29.99 and they even offer a yearly membership which saves you more.
And you can even save more a great holiday deal going on now! You can get 50% off your first month when you sign up for a monthly membership using coupon code SWAY 100 (Expires Dec 31st, 2012).

BabbaBox is a theme-based box delivered to your door that allows you to enjoy a little convenience and inspiration! As any parent can attest, the most important thing you can give to your child is quality time. BabbaBox makes this possible by helping you to save time, money, & mindspace.

Just think! Fantastic monthly activities with ALL the materials for kids ages 3-6. Included in the box are 3 projects + 1 bestselling book + digital download + parent surprise gift!

The best part? Babbabox makes a GREAT unique gift during the holiday season.

Act now! Get 50% off your first month when you sign up for a monthly membership using the code, SWAY100. Offer expires December 31, 2012.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of BabbaBox. The opinions and text are all mine.