time to get my pinterest on.

happy sunday afternoon, folks.  i hope it's been a good weekend for you all.  next weekend i'm heading to the beach with the fam to ring in the first of the wonderful red-white-and-blue holidays of the summer months: memorial day.  while the 4th of july remains my favorite holiday (naturally), i celebrate any excuse to deck out in some patriotic gear.

in order to catch as many rays as possible over the weekend, the 'rents are stopping by my apartment to pick up macy so that i don't have to double back once i'm already at work on the day we're leaving.  coming back to pick up the fluffy puppy would put me about an hour behind so they're really helping me save time (and gas!).  sweet of them, right?  right.  

HOWEVER, this means i had to do some major cleaning and organizing this weekend.  i was running beyond empty on friday, but after some much needed sleep, i was ready to tackle my mess.  by saturday evening, the layer of procrastination that was covering my furniture was gone, the bathrooms smelled like bleach once again, and the clutter was organized.  for the most part.

[side note: this organization does not include the second bedroom which i have dubbed as my extra closet. a girl needs a lot of closet space, okay?  and i need a solid week to make a dent in that room.  it can wait for now.]

anyways, one organizational headache that has been waiting since february is that of my jewelry.  i have the select pieces that i wear on a routine basis in accessible piles, but everything else was in a hot tangled mess.  after brainstorming what i could do (besides toss it all out), i decided it was time ... it was time to get my pinterest on.

and get my pinterest on i did.

just some of the tangled mess.

after photographing the hideous proof, i got to work.  not only did i separate everything so i could see what i was dealing with (and of course, take a few trips down memory lane as i came across the sentimental pieces), i hit the stores to gather materials.

supplies

i had seen a DIY jewelry organizer on pinterest using a bulletin board and i thought with some paint to match my bedroom decor, this could be an inexpensive solution.  i bought the paint (color: espresso), foam brushes, and board.  i have about a bazillion pins leftover from college so i was all set in that department.

who doesn't love a magnetic chalkboard?

while i was gathering these things, i found a magnetic chalkboard that i thought would be perfect for another pinterest project i had seen: the magnetic makeup organizer.  after buying magnets, some glittery ribbon (i couldn't resist ... i'm just not that mature yet), and the magnetic board, i was set.

step one: tape the inside

i made sure to put tape down inside the wooden part of the bulletin board in case my paint ran (which i was sure it would due to my lack of painting skillz) and then i slathered that thing, espresso style!  

chalkboard with glitter ribbon

while my paint was drying, i glued my ribbon to the outside edges of my magnetic chalkboard and attached the magnets to the makeup i use most often (ie: mascar, powder, lip gloss, blush, brushes, etc.).  

organized makeup!

once i was done gluing the magnets, i attached the chalkboard to a wall in my bathroom with only minimal holes in the wall (i'll deal with those holes another day) ... and then i stuck all my magnetic makeup on the board in an organized, easy-to-access fashion!

once that unnecessary-but-oh-so-fun! project was done, i returned to my jewelry bulletin board and touched up the paint with a few extra coats.  after everything was dry and i was satisfied with the color, i attached the board to the wall with much improvement (and fewer holes!).  when everything was secured, i pinned my sorted necklaces up on the board.  and while it only organizes the necklaces i'd actually wear and it doesn't even make a dent in the rest of my accessories, it's a start, right?

organized necklaces!

in conclusion, i hope you have a very happy, pinterest-style-organized, patriotic memorial day!  xoxo.

spring crafts > spring allergies

it's no surprise to anyone that spring is far from my favorite season.  i'm really most fond of the holiday season and baseball season, but winter and fall come in at a close third and fourth.  despite the warmer weather that some people enjoy and the longer days, spring brings those terrible pieces of yellow, soul-sucking nose poison and i really could do without.

spring wreath

close up of the details. pretty

however, even through the red, puffy eyes that have taken up residence in my face, i can clearly see how wonderful spring crafts are.  they're just cuter, you know?  not that you can't make cute things out of orange and brown and turkeys ... because i'm sure someone somewhere can.  but spring colors just radiate cuteness.

thanks to my wonderful and ridiculously crafty mother, i'm the proud new owner of a festive, spring-like wreath!  i can't figure out how to get it on my front door because i'm inept in the department of normal adult tasks, but i have successfully hung it on my pantry.

now every time i walk past the pantry to go into the bathroom and pop another benadryl, i'll at least be able to think something positive about spring.

spring may not have the wonderful songs that come during the holiday season, and it may not always have the tight-uniform-wearing-baseball-boys (although the games do start then, but it's not a requirement that just because it's spring, all men must wear hot baseball pants), but at least it spreads a little cheer.

happy spring, folks!  

my top five holiday decorations.

after a wonderful surprise visit from my parents this weekend (for my birthday ... not just because, although take note: that would be cool too.), i decided to deck my halls because i don't like to do it unless it's worth it (which i know is lame and "missing the point" but whatever).  i always struggled with decorating for holidays in college because while i loved the decorations, i loathed only being able to enjoy them for a few weeks before i felt like i had to take them down.  no one wants to come back from christmas break with their decorations still up in their dorm room, right?  

and besides that, word on the street is that it's bad luck to keep your decorations up in the new year.  or at least that's what my 'rents always said.  but that's probably just so we'd help them clean them up.    

anyways, instead of waiting until december like i should, i followed almost all stores (except macy's i think) and starting unpacking the holiday decorations.  and goodness it was fun!  now i have over a month to enjoy them before i leave for the holidays.  well worth it in my book.

in honor of decorating my little box, i've elected to share my top five holiday decorations with you.  as always, enjoy.

'you'd better not pout
-or mope
-or whine
-or COMPLAIN!'

decoration number one:  my year-round mantra ... or better yet, my mother's year-round mantra for me.  this little reminder ornament actually stays out through the year in hopes that i'll grow up.  good luck with that, mom.

tar heel snowpeople.  

decoration number two:  these snowpeople are so in love.  and i think their chubby cheeks are precious.  hopefully if i display this all through the winter the tar heel boys will kick butt in basketball.  not that i'll watch.  but i'll support my friends that watch through displaying this decoration.

box from fiffy.

decoration number three:  believe box.  if you haven't heard my santa-judy blume story from 5th grade, ask me sometime.  but make sure you've gone to the bathroom beforehand.  because most of the time people laugh.  EVEN though it's actually a tragic story.  

ornament-belly santa!

decoration number four:  ornament-belly (light-up) santa.  yes, it IS as wonderful as it sounds!  mom and i love cracker barrel and we found this jewel of a decoration one day after dinner.  precious, right?  i might keep this out all year.  that's how much i'm digging it right now.

1.5-eared bunny

decoration number five:  1.5-eared bunny.   i'm not exactly sure when or where he lost his ear, or for that matter, when or where he got the .5 of a fake ear made out of what can only be described as folded up paper ... regardless of all of that, this ornament never fails to make me smile.  and why wouldn't a 1.5-eared bunny ornament make you smile?