My quarterly blog post. :)

Happy 2013!

I figured it was time to say hi, if there are any of you out there anymore! :)
It has been quite a busy past few months, and I must admit that I have been consumed and busier than I prefer! The 2 months before Christmas are a bit crazy for me, as I always over-commit to myself in the area of homemade gift-giving. I did manage to get it all done on time, though! And I always have fun doing it.

Here are a few pics of some of the gifts I made! (They were taken on my phone, so of course the quality is ridiculous but you'll get the idea.)

Because every little girl needs a set of tiny sleep animals.

I obviously didn't make this nor was it a gift, but it was our first Christmas tree, and many of the ornaments on it were made by my cute kids. :)

A gift for my Office-loving Michael-Scott freak brother. 

Saw this idea on Pinterest and had to do it! My bestie Danni got the NY half and I kept the South Carolina one.  Cheesy?  Oh yes.

I always forget to take pictures of guests too! We had ALOT of fun family time with much company and it was wonderful.  I am overall very blessed, and a few pounds extra to show for it. 

I am not one of New Years resolutions, but let's just say, I'd like to be able to wear my normal jeans again. Ha!

Hopefully soon, I can sit down and compose a more personal post for you. In the mean time, be blessed!

-Jenn

Craft room/office/guest room re-do!

I have a really embarrassing post for you today.

My office/craft room/guest room has been on the back burner ever since we moved in and I just haven't had time to tackle it. It was daunting, with two walls half covered in cork, hardly any storage, and no real inspiration.  

Then one day, I happened upon this link about organizing your home office. It really inspired me! (For some reason her blog isn't working right now, but if you want to see, bookmark it and try again later. Hopefully it will come back up again because it is SO worth it!)

My office was truly a disaster, with stuff piled everywhere, bins of things I didn't really need, a totally unorganized desk area, and almost no storage space. 

the wall in front of the desk has just had the cork removed and a fresh coat of paint applied. See my printer under those stacked bins? Oy.

Yeah. The only shelves in the room. Horrid.

THIS IS MY GUEST BED.  When company comes, it is interesting finding places for all this junk.

I realized I really had to de-clutter and get rid of a bunch of fabric, especially the stuff that was in those bins! I. Hate. Bins. I dont mind them in the attic, where they can't be seen, but I can't stand it when they're just 'around'. 

So, I filled up quite a few bags of things I didn't really need in the first place. In fact, you will be seeing a BUNCH more fabric up in the shop soon, as part of my de-stashing mission!

Ok, so, I managed to convince my husband to hang some shelves above my desk. I love that man!! Look at the difference!

Printer is off the desk, and I not have a file box there for staying organized!! And the three drawer organizer underneath holds LOTS of my craft stuff!

Up there on the first shelf, I have these cuties.

Just painted some cans and voila! Super cute storage.

Next to be tackled was the FABRIC. Oh, my babies. I had to let some go, sadly.  This blog post really got me excited!! Super cheap, easy, and looks SO nice and tidy! I was sorta drooling, actually. 

So I ran to the Dollar store, grabbed like 12 foam boards, and got to work cutting! I followed her tutorial exactly, and this is what happened!  First, scroll back up to see the 'before' photo of my shelves.

ok, here's the after~!

Ok, are ready for the full view of the shelves? It may not look like a HUGE change but believe me, I know where everything is now! 

How cute is that window?!! I still have to work on the bedding but I am SO much happier.

All the yarn is on the top shelf, next to my bin of craft ribbon. Next shelf down is some of the bags in my shop. The middle shelf houses my glass craft items like votives, plates, etc. The red box has all my buttons in it, organized by color!  And underneath, my glorious fabric! Since this photo, I have done the same thing to the bottom shelf. And that bin there...almost gone! Gonna put the bed up on blocks and store stuff under it. YAY!

So there it is! 

It took me a lot longer to get this all done but I am SO glad I did!

What are you doing to get oranized? :)

Hi!
A quick note to 'all' of my followers (thank you to both of you for reading.)
:)
My mom is doing a book giveaway on her blog! And my mom has great taste in books. So go check it out. GO.
http://touchofheavengifts.blogspot.com/

Love! -Jenn

3 months? For reals?`

Yeah.
Just call me Slacker McSlackykins.
I've been so busy sewing, children-ing, cleaning, hosting, traveling...well, you get the idea.
This poor little blog was very neglected!
But today is your lucky day.
Why, you ask? It's because I'm super excited about some new stuff I posted in my shop.
Yes, this is a shameless "go to my shop and buy stuff" post.
But also, I want you to be excited with me, because I have some news! Soon, I will be making high end tote/diaper bags. I will be marketing them in my shop as primarily diaper bags, but of course they can be used as a regular purse or bag too. They make splendid gifts for friends, new moms, etc.
Many of them will be made with laminated cotton on the outside, adjustable straps, more pockets, magnetic clasps, designer fabric, and maybe even some changing pads included!
I'm just so excited to be improving on my skills and hopefully blessing people with really well made bags.
And also, I get to charge more.
Ka-ching.

:)
Hey, a worker is worth their wages right?!!
Seriously though, I think handmade bags can be even better quality than store bought if done right, and I aim to do RIGHT!

Anyway, here's some of the latest additions to the shop, and as soon as I get my laminated cotton, I'll be starting on my new high end diaper bags!

this one is just to show the size of those last two hobo bags up there

Thanks for your patience with me :) I admit, I am not a faithful blogger but I appreciate when you stop by!
Hope the Lord blesses your socks off today! Remember him as you take each breath.
Love!
-Me

Sheesh!

Wow. I guess it's been a while. And I don't have much to say here either...sorry! :) Just wanted to post something because I felt bad looking at the date of the last post. Here's some cute pictures of me and Bella, and some from Asher's preK circus to keep you til the next post!

He totally rocked it as the Strong Man. The theme of his song was "Jesus is my Superhero". Loved it.

Kitchen progress....

I guess I need to post on my blog more often about how I'd like things to get done around the house! The day after I posted this entry, Joel decided to put the beaded board up! I can't even explain to you what a difference it has made in the kitchen.  I still have to prime and put a fresh coat of white on it before I can show you a true before/after post, but here's a teaser. Check out the walls before!

Nasty formica that was peeling, sticky and just plain ugly. Maybe it was in style when they first put it in back in 19-FOREVER ago.
Now look at what it looks like presently....

Can you even believe that?
Seriously, I could kiss that man on the mouth. Actually, I think I will. :)
Anyway,  after we got the glorious white goodness on the walls, I decided to change the paint color above it.  You can see in the first picture above that it was a light citrus green, sorta 'appley'. Now, it's a light turquoise, painted in a high gloss and it has made such a difference. I couldn't bring myself to do an all-white kitchen, but maybe someday. I guess I'm just a sucker for having at least SOME color on the walls, even if it's light or pale.
Next on the list: touch up the cabinets, get an over-the-range microwave, install a pantry in the garbage cabinet, and hang shelves where the spice racks used to be.
I'll post more pictures as I continue to change things. I SO love re-decorating, much to my husbands' chagrin.  (You love it, honey!)

Ode to my Kitchen

I'm sure lots of you moms out there could say that you spend most of your day in the kitchen. Cooking, cleaning, prepping, serving, washing, etc.  Of all of the rooms in my home, the kitchen is where you will find me probably 71.4% of the time. 

Much of the rest of my day is spent in my little office/guest room/craft room at my desk, or snuggling my kids in the living room. 

Joel and I were talking the other day about all of the house projects on our to-do list.  And a thought suddenly came to me! I spend most of my day tending to things in the kitchen, and while I do want the rest of my home to be lovely, I really want to love my kitchen!  Oh, it doesn't have to be world-class or expensive. Nor does it have to be cutting edge. Just homey, lovely, efficient and inviting. 

We've done a few things to bring it there! Remember the before and after of the kitchen floor? That is the last thing we've done to our kitchen. Just haven't had time or resources! So, next on the list: touch up the cabinets, hang the beadboard to cover up the nasty formica on the wall, put a pantry in the big cabinet where our garbage can currently is,  and get new linoleum countertops.

I think if we can get those 4 things done, I will feel more in love with my kitchen!  I have been collecting ideas on Pinterest on my "Home Stuff" board for what I would love in my kitchen. Here are a few of them:

Apparently I love white kitchens with natural wood accents and splashes of color.   I'll post an update of the kitchen after we've done something else to it. Hopefully the bead board will be up soon!  In the meantime, I keep doing small organizational things in there. I cleaned out the tupperware cupboard and sorted, put a basket in where the tea towels are kept (they were just thrown in there in a pile!), and hung new curtains on the door.  Baby steps, right?

Hope y'all have an awesome weekend.  Spend time lovin' on your kitchen too!

-Jenn :)