Paisley Denim Pillows

Another little 'unfinished project' I'm working on for the new place: paisley denim pillows. (Sadly, my camera lens shattered & I haven't replaced it yet so all of these pictures are a bit fuzzy ... the best my Blackberry can do! Darn it! So, bear with me ...)

I LOVE pillows. They are a simple & easy way to decorate & they really help establish the style of a space. Because they are relatively inexpensive, they can be changed out as often as the seasons if you'd like. Not to mention, they are also comfortable & my bed can be stacked with at least six at any given time.

I bought several down pillows of various sizes from Ikea that came without covers. I fired up the ole sewing machine (which, let's also be honest, I haven't used since I was in a 'sewing circle' in probably middle school, if not elementary!) & got to work! I found a paisley printed denim at JoAnn's that just-so-happens to be super soft. Instead of sewing all of the sides shut, I made them with an opening (similar to a sham) so they can come off if need be & attached three wooden buttons to the front. I didn't realize how much work it is to sew button holes! Thus, this project is also still in process ...

When I get my camera fixed I will add a few more pictures & when they find a home on my new bed, I will show the true 'before' & 'after' photos.

Lampshade

When I first came across Northwest Hospitality's blog, I fell in LOVE with this lamp. I adore the feminine look that it adds to her country cottage space. So, clearly I had to try my attempt at my own.

I found a lampshade & lampstand at the Goodwill awhile back that were just sitting around waiting to be used for a good project. The lampshade had a little dent in one side that needed to be covered up. Together, they were probably about $6. I didn't know quite until I saw this project what I actually wanted to do with it! This is the 'coffee filter lampshade' because it is made up of hundreds of folded & fluffed coffee filters simply hot glued to the shade.

Here is how mine turned out. Well, I shouldn't lie ... it's not done. I cheated a little & took a picture of the side that is finished! The poor back is still bare! I ran out of filters & got tired of buring myself with the hot glue. This is one of those projects I'll be working on shortly to actually finish ... but you get the idea. I also would like to either find a larger stand, or switch it out with a another one that I already have. The shade & lamp stand went well together until I added on the extra size with the 'fluff.' Now it just looks a little disproportional to me. But, I love the look of it & I'm excited to find just right spot for it in the new place!

Western Sign

The first project I recently did wasn't actually for me. I made it for a friend of mine, Elizabeth. Her & her fiance, Danny, are getting married in July! She has been a lifelong friend of mine & I couldn't be happier for the two of them. She ended up having two bridal showers, so for one of her gifts I made a sign with their future married last name. Olson. I wanted the sign to be western, since she is! & to go with the rest of her home decor.

I found a piece of wood just the right size at the Goodwill (this worked out handy since I have no way of cutting a larger piece at the moment), painted it a dark brown & roughed it up a little with some sand paper. I used a water-based cream color for the letters. This was the tricky part! I free-handed the letters (which didn't quite turn out as perfect as I had in mind). Then I used a thin rope & stapled it to the back with a staple gun so it could be hung. Voila! It turned out to be a relatively easy project.

Elizabeth sent me this picture (below) of it hanging up shorty after I had given it to her. I told her she could hang it out in her barn since it didn't turn out quite like I wanted, so right next to the front door is an upgrade! ;)

Best wishes on a long & happy marriage - congrats Elizabeth & Danny!

Progress

Here's a little update on those goals I recently posted!

RUNNING - well, I got my buns movin' & have decided to add an additional quarter of a mile to my workout each week. That way I can actually force myself to keep on track instead of the ole I'm-going-to-the-gym-every-freakin'-day routine ... because that never works for me. I always start the day out with the best of intentions ... and by 5pm let's be honest, I'm ready to do anything but go to the gym. By adding that amount, 2 months from now I will be at my 5 mile goal! A couple days ago when I hit 3 miles, it was a milestone. I'm not shy about the fact that I do. not. run. SO, 3 miles was a record (don't judge). And it felt GOOD. I also got my Nike+ all figured out! So I'm keeping track of my runs on that bad boy. They are super-duper handy. If you like to run, and don't already have one ... support the swoosh. They are worth your monayyy. I'm excited how attainable this once far-fetched goal now is. I have no doubt I'll cruise on by 5 miles in no time ...

MONEY - Paying off my student loans is really my biggest goal, and making progress on this is top priority to me. It is a chal-lenge let me tell you. I constantly get the 'shopping-bug' and I love to wine & dine ... but I keep remembering how great it feels to put chunks of money towards my loans & see those balances drop. I've added an extra $900/month towards my payments. It also feels great to NOT pay interest ... when you pay over the minimum amount due, that amount goes straight to the principal. Worth it? Most definitely. Saving money lately has become more of a fun challenge. I have become a coupon clipper! Every Sunday I cut coupons out of the paper & make grocery store purchases based on whats either on sale, or what I have a coupon for. Now that I have started using them (& saving money!) it seems so silly to go shopping without them!


SHOOTING- Well, first things first, I renewed my hunting license & put in for my deer tags! I picked Wagontire since that is where the men of the family usually go. Over this past weekend I also went out shooting with the boys. I shot a 243, which I loved. So, well on our way with this goal too.


BLOGGING - okay, okay so I think about blogging like, every day. But ... this is the first one I've posted since that goal. I'll keep working on that one :)

Goals

I'm a big fan of setting goals. Goals give you direction, motivation, & a sense of accomplishment once they have been attained. They give you something to look forward to (which I think we all need) & the cool thing is, they can be anything! I think we are very good at setting our 'new year's resolutions' that last maaaaybe three days (max!) but setting goals for me has been something that focuses me on things I want to do. They are passions & aspirations. For example, last summer my goal was to learn to ride & own a Harley. Done! I LOVE my bike & I'll admit it, I sort of feel like a bad ass when people ask me about it ;) But that was last year, so here we are ... 2011 ... time for some new goals!

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RUNNING- Compared to a lot of runners, it may be pathetic for my goal to be able to run 5 miles. But let's be honest, I'm not a runner ... nor have I ever ran that far ... mmm in my life. I'm giving myself a shorter timeline for this. 8 weeks. Doable? That's only increasing my current distance by 3 miles. Which is clearly more than double what I'm doing now. Hence the goal. This may end up being easier (or harder) than I expect! I am going to get the Nike+ for my ipod & keep track!

SHOOTING- I want to own my very own gun & shoot a deer. Bad. It doesn't have to be a huge elk or anything ... just a deer. I'll leave it at that for now.

MONEY- Pay off my student loans by next August. This is a big goal because it requires me to be extremely diligent with my money in the next 16 months ... $18,000 worth of diligence. My mom always said that people that don't have money are the ones that talk about it the most. I tend to be private with my money but after reading the Dave Ramsey book, I'm more excited about sharing the process. P.S. Check out Dave Ramsey on Facebook ... did you know the average person graduates college with $24K in student loan debt & takes on average 20 years to pay it off ... aka still paying it while their children are in college. Yikes.

BLOGGING- This is kind of silly. But I really do LOVE blogs. I love reading them, following them, spending (way to much) time oooo-ing & ahhh-ing over what people have done! The blogging that I want to do is just a way of documenting some of the things I have done! I don't have a particular goal for this. But just to do it :) I guess I'm well on my way. Cheers.

Design Dilemma

One of my personal weaknesses is my inability to make decisions. I've blogged about this before, but it's true. Anything that really doesn't matter, I can't for the life of me decide upon. So it's kind of a big deal that I have decided the style for our new house! We got a cute little three bedroom, two bath, ranch style house here in town. We are just renting, which makes it a little less fun ... but nonetheless, I'll take you on a tour!

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Here is the living room: The entry is to the right (not pictured) & the fireplace will require a little more effort than just the flip-of-a-switch ... but hey, this girl can build a 'real' fire! & it will save us money on heating.

The kitchen: It has a TON of cupboard space & a pantry on the other side. All updated appliances ... I'm sort of stoked about the dishwasher that has drawers...


The kitchen again: Side-by-side fridge! & the freezer on the bottom. I really should have turned the lights on when I took these pictures. My bad.



Dining room: Okay, the mirror is kind of huge & ugly ... but it could be worse!



The master: Pretty boring, but has potential!


And HERE ... is the problem: The (tiny) master bathroom ... with no storage. None. There is a reason you do not put a pedestal sink in a master bath. That reason being there is not a place in the world to hide ... well, anything. While I do love the look of them & they are suitable for say, a guest bathroom, they are completely impractical for actual 'living' spaces. This is my biggest bathroom challenge yet ... & here it is:

I didn't include pictures of the guest bathroom, the other two rooms, or the patio/outside area. I'm sure more of that will come later. These are just some general 'before' pictures. As for the design style ... we're going for a nice combination of a lot of country, a little french, & a little classic. I promise it will make more sense as it all comes together. And true to form, I'm doing it on a dime. My Dave Ramsey money-saving-madness is in full effect ...

Total Money Makeover

In the last week or so I've been reading a book called "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. I'm not a huge book-reader so it takes something extra special to grab (and hold) my attention. For those of you who haven't heard of Dave Ramsey or his philosophies about money ... you should get your hands on this book! The reason I started reading it in the first place is because I know several people who have followed his plan & have amazing things to show for it ... including student loans paid off, cars & houses purchased, & large savings accounts built up - sounds great, right!?

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It's not a get-rich-quick thing ... instead he challenges the standard American way of life in that you don't have to buy anything (& SHOULDN'T) on credit (including your car, house, etc.) & you can live debt-free. I would say that I'm good with money. I don't spend money I don't have, I try to buy things on sale, & I even own some stocks! But I didn't really have a plan. Thanks to reading this book, I have a refreshed prospective on the reality of debt & spending. This marks the beginning of my 'financial journey' to better understand & control my money. I realize this is somewhat ironic as I'm majoring in accounting! but nonetheless, there is SO much to learn ...

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I'm fortunate enough that my parents taught me in a roundabout way never to buy a car unless you could pay for it in cash, so that is one debt I'm thankful I don't have. However, I am one of those Americans that uses a credit card. I justify that it is good to use because every month it is paid off completely & it is 'helping my credit'. I am also one of those Americans that has student-loans. My current financial goal is to get those student loans PAID OFF and quick. I've kept a 'budget' for two years now ... but let's be honest, my 'budget' was really more of a record of my spending (athough it is a pretty fancy schmancy spreadsheet, color-coordinated and all)! At the end of the month I would add up how much I spent on various things & let me tell you, money goes fast! Of course I would see things I was spending too much on, like coffee and make little adjustments here & there. My adjustment for my coffee addiction was buying a Barista off Craigslist! Wah-lah, Starbucks at home! But my new perspective is to attack my finances fiercely now & not just casually like before. My new goal is go create a budget before the month comes & STICK TO IT! If I am willing to cut down on my spending in a dramatic way, I will be setting myself up for a successful financial future.

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I looked at some of the other things I can cut out - nails, tanning, & gym to name a few. I realize how much I spend on things like that & how much BETTER it would feel not to have ANY debt. It's not to say that I couldn't 'afford' those things, but when you add up what they cost - tanning $804/year, gym $480/yr, nails $600 - that's nearly $2000 that I could apply to my loans instead. I'm also going to limit what I spend on eating out, entertainment, & shopping. The concept of the book is live like no one else NOW, so you can live like no one else later. Who wants to keep up with the Joneses anyway ... the Joneses are in debt! I'm looking forward to posting more blogs about ways I've saved money, creative ways I've earned money, & progress I'm making towards getting my student loans PAID OFF. :)