Thoughts from an Indecisive Diva

Living Room Redo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 03:39:00 +0000

It's been a long time waiting but I finally rearranged the living room. If you remember from one of my very first posts, Living Room Tour, we had an extremely large, ginormous 10 ft long couch (that may be a slight exaggeration, but not by much). We got really lucky to find a very comfy, over stuffed love seat online for $50. With the purchase of a super cheap slip cover we were able to make it a little more fun.

I guess those weren't the best of pictures and probably makes it look more chaotic than it actually is, but I love it!!! There is a semi-library, office area, and social area. I'm still working on the curtains and other decor pieces but I find this to much of an improvement.

I adore white couches but with two extremely messy children, that's just not ever happening. Maybe in 18 years I can have my dream of the all white living room....

DREAM OF MINE

Solid Curtains

So now I have a big dilemma....What kind of curtains do I get with such a busy, over-populated room??? I have a couple ideas that I have in mind but I'm not sure if either one of them will work in our room.

Ruffled Curtains

Striped

I'm really leaning towards the stripes. What do you think would be a good fit in our very active, busy, and bright living room??

Remembering of 9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 02:46:00 +0000

Today, Jacob and I, have started a tradition that we plan to take part in every year on september 11. We are going to send a special thanks to our american heros and many others in our community. Our hope is that no one will forget. Instead of focusing on the hate that brought on those events, we will remember how our nation came together and stood tall as a very strong entity.

This year we chose to send thanks to our local fire department. I really got lucky to have Daves family donate merchandise from their paving business In Line Paving. Not bad right??

I'm really hoping this act of kindness will be a tradition my kids will pass along to their children.

Did anyone else do anything for 9/11?? I'd love to hear. Jacob is already taking notes for next year.

*Jennifer*

Just a quick thanks....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 01:53:00 +0000

I want to send a big thank you to all my new followers!!! I've had alot of traffic to my blog since my recent link ups. I thank you sooooooo much!!!! I feel extremely encouraged by all my readers and fellow bloggers.

I would like to apologize for my improper post; if you're like me,i only like posts with pictures. We're currently rearranging the living room and we need to reroute wiring for the satellite and internet. I'm really loving our new furniture layout and I can't wait to share my first craigs list purchase; but until I can get the man to complete all the dirty work (I'm just kidding,i just need him to tell me what to do) our computer is going to be out of commission.

I have lots of projects in the work; living room layout, painted kids room, and my next decluttering project. Hopefully, by next week everything will be complete and I can share our progress.

But until then thank you all so very very much!!

«jennifer»

August Trend of the Month + DIY Statement Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:24:00 +0000

I'm sure you know by now that I'm a DIY kinda gal. Anything I could do myself for home improvements, fashion, decor, and anything else - you can always count me in. I feel so fulfilled when I can bring something old and worn out back to life. Why not right?!? At least in my heart I know I'm saving something from going to the landfill. This week I took my DIY passion out on my favorite old ratty scarf.

I was dreading getting rid of it, but I knew it needed intensive surgery because of the multiple tears it had. I came across I Heart Jenny's Art: White Jersey Necklace on Pinterest that helped inspire me to bring life back to my tattered 'ole scarf.

So I began cutting....I used two strips that I cut and twisted them together. Then I stitched the two ends so the twist wouldn't unravel and after that I stitched the 2 twisted ends together. Making the little flower was a bit hard (by no means am I a professional seamstress), but I did my best by rolling it up and hand stitching it to the twisted fabric. And viola.....

can you guess what the trend of the month is @ Marionberry Style's Trend of the Month is?? You guessed it, Statement Necklaces. I mixed my bright yellow DIY scarf remake with all black. Look'n pretty classy - if I do say so myself.

I couldn't resist the urge to wear boots. Oh how I dream of fall - all the sweaters, boots, and scarves. I can't say that the weather in South Carolina changes much, but the fashion does.

Linked to:

Marionberry Style

Clutter Challenge #2 - Entryway

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:11:00 +0000

This was a simple project I took on many many weeks ago and I'm really proud to say that it's finally done. Our entry way - well, how would I describe it? - ummmm....it's just a freak'n door that opens up into our very boxy living room. I really want a mudroom, but if you can't build it might as well improvise. I was on the hunt for an inexpensive bench that had storage below for shoes, I didn't have any luck.....until I came across this $7 beauty at our local Goodwill.

With a little can of exterior white paint, plus a custom piece of wood to add support to the top, we made our own bench with shoe storage.

I also got lucky by finding an very cool outdoor bench cushion at Walmart for $13 on clearance. I had to alter it a bit but I really think it makes the bench very classy.

I couldn't be happier that our little house is on it's way to being organized.

Linked to:

DIY Show Off - Blog

Remodelaholic

August Birchbox Picks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 01:15:00 +0000

I can't tell you how excited I get in the middle of each month when I receive my monthly Birchbox. This month's box was a back to school theme - "Beauty School". Even though I don't attend any classes, my kids do and a little pampering for momma never seems to hurt this gal. Plus 15% of the proceeds from sales in the Birchbox Shop will go to Pencils of Promise, a non-profit that build schools in South America and Asia.

I got 2 faves this month. My first pick is Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy La Fleur. Yum yum, delicious; I've always been a fan of Juicy Couture!! I was so happy to find this little gift in my box!

Birchbox - $70

My second pick is Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss. This lip gloss is so wonderful!! It glides on so smooth without being sticky and the color is so beautiful!!

Birchbox - $20

Well, those are just my thoughts. If you've received a Birchbox this month I would love to hear about the products that you loved the most.

Kitchen + Quick Chair Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 02:59:00 +0000

I hope everyone is planning for a great weekend! I realized in the midst of my shoe bench project I never showed off our kitchen makeover. The kitchen was the our first big project and it was a struggle. It was the gloomiest room I've ever seen, I swear the first couple of months that we lived here I refused to cook because the wood walls, brown cabinets and the puke green sink made me so depressed.

After a ton of arguments and Dave's elbow grease we have our very cute and modern kitchen. Our makeover included tons of paint, new hardware, new counter top, glass tile backsplash, a beautiful sink and my favorite, the faucet.

Gosh, I thought that was stressful, but I couldn't be any happier. I can't even imagine a full home renovation. I also did a quick fix for the boring kitchen chairs that we have with a can of spray paint and chevron fabric.

I'm getting really close to revealing our entry space bench. With each coat of paint I can see my vision coming to life. Well, until next time I hope everyone has a wonderful stress free weekend - and believe me I'm counting on one of those!

UV Nail Polish Kit

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 02:12:00 +0000

Today I got an awesome surprise in the mail. My boyfriend's stepmom sent me a UV gel nail kit. I love it!! We don't have a dishwasher so painting my finger nails was truly pointless. From what I understand this polish is to last 2 weeks. That's a miracle compared to any regular nail polish that I've tried that didn't last more then a day in half. I'll keep you posted to let all those dish wash'n divas know that maybe there is a nail polish to with stand the suds and scrubs.

Haute Polish

As of today they happen to be out of stock, but click the picture to go to website

I feel awful that I haven't posted much lately. I'm still working on our entry way bench - it just happens to be raining so much lately in the Midlands that I can't paint the bookshelf that is soon to be a bench. But in the mean time, while I wait for the rain to vanish, I have some fabulous nails!!!!

It's supposed to rain for the rest of the week :( Maybe this weekend I can get some painting done and get back to the plan of dissecting the disorganization in this small itty bitty house.

Rain, rain go away so Jenn can get to blogging about the project she's about to make!

Itty Bitty Closet & Trend of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:02:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday!!! I love Wednesdays because it means we're so close to the weekend!!! Not that I have any plans (as of yet). I wanted to talk about our itty bitty closet. Closets in our house are pretty much non-existent, we only have 2 1/2. What's the 1/2, you say.....I'm really not sure, its about 1 ft by 1 ft (maybe smaller) with a door on it. We haven't installed a rack or any shelves, so as of right now I store my sewing machine there.

When having a lack of closet space every piece of clothing should be loved and quite versatile. Creativity seems to spark when you have to keep a small wardrobe. I'd like to think of myself as a fashionista, but I'm not so daring as others. This month I decided to test out my mini wardrobe for The Trend of the Month Challenge @ Marionberry Style. This months challenge is mixing prints and patterns.

My result was mixing a button down skirt, with a blue flower print belt, and a striped shirt.

I realized I don't have much print in my closet, I guess I've always been afraid of it. I'm glad I participated, because now I can venture outside my comfort zone and add more unique pieces that would stand out above the rest.

If you haven't heard of Marionberry Style pop on over for all her fabulous fashion advice!!

Clutter Challenge #1 - The Mailman

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:25:00 +0000

I don't know how it is for most people but our mailbox is like the outside trash that we keep bringing in, most of the paper we bring in lays in random piles (on the desk, entertainment center, on top of the microwave and kitchen counter) and is never ever looked at. Today I tackled the problem and made an efficient "Mail Station" for the family.

Paper Overload

After making a quick run to Target on my lunch break and fighting through the crowd of "back to school" shoppers in the office supply section, I came up with a plan, crossed my fingers, and got the heck out of there.

Target Haul = $22.32

I love the bright folders I found; how can you ignore a bill in a bright ass folder??!! Right?! I labeled 5 folders: Kids, Medical, Bills, Coupons, & Receipts. I really think this is going to save our home from a being attacked by paper.

The Bright and

Beautiful Mail Station

My mom was so sweet and got me a little planner and I brightened that up as well; by using mini sticky notes I was able to add color to each task.

Another paper challenge is my over abundance of magazines. Don't get me wrong there is nothing more beautiful then those colorful glossy pages, but after I look at it once they just collect dust. I looked online for any places that accepted magazines as donations - no luck. Looks like I'm leaving the house a bit earlier than normal to run to the recycling center.

It's strange why I have

so many issues of Maxim

I think as far as first challenges go, it went pretty well....what do ya think? Next is tackling our entry way. Seeing as our entry way is pretty much a pile of shoes and comes straight on into the living room, it may take a bit of creativity to make it pretty and tidy. We'll see what magic I can come up with. In the mean time we're cheering on USA everyday and wishing all the Olympians the best of luck!

Clutter Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 02:19:00 +0000

It's Sunday already!! Eek... I feel like I haven't accomplished much this weekend, as far as the house goes. I did, however, have a great time spending time with all my family. I think we're going to start planning for monthly game nights, which is incredibly fantastic because most times we only get together if we take a family weekend trip and that only happens about once a year.

I'm really happy to announce that I picked out the kids room color, Classic Khaki, thanks to the help of Olympic Creative Color Compos. For once I found paint color to be an easy decision.

I already know that August is going to be a very busy month for us, but I'm really hoping all the painting in their room will be complete by the end of it.

Well, the real reason I'm posting is to share another personal challenge that I'm planning on taking on....as if living small isn't challenging enough. I picked up the book 10,0001 Ways to Declutter Your Home on a Small Budget, my hopes are to post about each suggestion from the book I took on. Most likely I won't take on all of them, since some of them are irrelevant to me.

I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea or anything, I don't live in a pig sty. But there is a lot of disorganization in our home that leaves me stumped or unable to move on to the next project. This is not going to be easy for me because I feel like I have some hoarding tendencies (you should see our shed). So this is going to be my down and dirty, lets get to the bottom of this problem challenge. Step by step my family and I are to become clutter free and we're going to share all the good, bad, and ugly with the world!!!

The plans are to take baby steps. Tomorrow we're going to take on bills, junk mail and magazines!! Bring it mailman - BRING IT!

Moving on out: Kids Shared Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:49:00 +0000

I believe it's magic!!! I rearranged both the bedrooms and I could not be any more happier about the sleeping arrangements. For the longest time we were sharing the larger of the two rooms with the baby and her massive crib. Yeah - she is a tad bit spoiled by her grandparents :) But anywho... I moved Jacob into the room with the baby and Dave & I moved into his old room.

First let me say it was like pulling teeth to get the family to agree to this. TADA, they finally agreed and helped too. Like I said before right now I'm just searching for a place for everything and I think I may almost be there!!! It is possible to live small and organized, it just take creativity!!

By turning the crib, to cross the room, and butting it up to a dresser we were able to create a partial wall. We really created two rooms within one. I still want create more of a "wall" from floor to ceiling --- I'm going to rack my brain and maybe Pinterest for solutions. But the next step for both rooms would be paint and I have a couple of rooms to use as possible ideas.

Inspiration For Our Room:

Knight Moves

In The Know

Inspiration For Baby's Side:

Interior Chocolates Apartment Therapy

Inspiration For Boy's Side:

Remodaholic Chic Spaces For Little Faces

Lots to do, but we'll get there.

The Best Liquid Eyeliner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Birchbox July Favorite: Eyeko Eyeliner

I always love receiving my Birchbox every month, but this month I have an absolute favorite!!!!!! Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner is the best eyeliner I have ever used! This liner gives a very bold mod look to my eyes, its extremely easy to use~ compared to others I have tried, and the best part it last all day without smudging or smearing! I'm looking forward to trying the Eyeko Fat Mascara. Looks like I'm going to downsize my makeup too and only stick with the products I not only love but really stand the test of time.

Living Room Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 02:27:00 +0000

I'm really excited to share our living room today. There's nothing fancy or spectacular about it, but for the first time after moving in and having the baby I feel like everything has a place. My goal is to get every room organized and then go back and add cohesive style.

This room is not only our living and hangout room, it functions as our home office, library, play room, and guest bedroom. That's a big job for 200 square feet!

The "Man Chair" and Library

Our 10 foot Long Couch that was a sectional at one time.

Go Tigers!!!

Madison's Toy Box made from a kitchen drawer found at a yard sale for $1

Shoe Storage @ Entry Way

Home Office

Rooms I aspire this one to be:

Houzz

Contemporary Living Room from Houzz

Apartment Therapy

A Little Glass Box

House to Home

Chris loves Julia

I can't wait til next time to share more of our little home and beautiful inspirations!!!

Lions, Tigers and Bears

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:44:00 +0000

Lions, tigers and bears.............oh my where are all the animals?!? This weekend the fam and I decided that 90 degrees was a relief, compared to 3 digit temperatures we have been dealing with, and headed out to Riverbank Zoo. Well it still wasn't cool enough for most of the animals. I would say most of them were hanging out in there man made dens....I wonder if there was a/c back there.

The kids had a blast!

All the sight seeing was exhausting

hmmm.....

Cow Appreciation Day!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:41:00 +0000

Today was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. If your clueless to what this is, like I was, let me please fill you in. On Cow Appreciation Day you can dress like a cow and get a free meal. I didn't believe it, but its TRUE! Follow this link below and sign up for the Chick-fil-a contact list and you will know about the next Cow Appreciation Day.

Dave and I took our lunch break to check out the fun.

I am not a paid sponsor of Chick-fil-a.

Welcome To Our Small Home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:35:00 +0000

We're finally coming up on the 1 year anniversary of our small home purchase. I can't believe it's already been a year.

This is our old home. It was a cute 1200 square foot, two story home that reminded me of Charleston. In fact it was called Charleston Row. The only thing it was missing was the beach and maybe some up keep by the landlord. After our lease was up we decided to buy our adorable bungalow with the intention of quick renovations and additions.

This is it!! Our 1940's, nine hundred square foot, 2 bedroom homestead!! Down sizing has been extremely hectic, but quite an adventure. One of my really good friends told me "a smaller home makes for a closer family" and I will never forget it. It's one of those monumental quotes in my life that I will never forget.

Intro

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 03:18:00 +0000

Well, here we go..... This is my first post and you would think I was going to perform on a stage in front of millions, I got a bit of stage fright. I finally decided to share my chaotic, creative, and wonderful life with the world. Let me start by sharing the most important people in my life who have to deal with my everyday creativeness. I definitely don't think it's by choice on their parts, but they are such good sports. I have 2 beautiful children, Jake and Madison who have to deal with my major indecisiveness. Dave is also the wonderful man in my life who not only listens to my crazy creative ideas, he is also the one who has to execute them.

I've already mentioned several times about my creative ideas. What exactly am I talking about?!?! Well, I'll tell you....We recently purchased a very small home. When I mean small...I really mean small. So thru out this blog I hope to share my trials and errors with coping living in a small space, managing a growing family in this space, as well as how I'm dealing with home renos, managing a family and a career all at once.

I can't wait to share my ideas as well as receive input, I'm totally open to suggestions.