tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16748205295683339982024-02-18T22:57:46.639-08:00Happy Accidentsbecause life doesn't always go as planned...Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-45161203336891947932014-03-31T08:33:00.001-07:002014-03-31T08:33:08.520-07:00Tree Branch Wedding CakeFinally, my cakes were good enough for someone to seek me out and pay me to do a cake. It started as a bridal shower cake that was going to be plain white with a car that has a just married sign hung on the back with tin cans hanging. But soon it turned into the wedding cake itself. Cue the freak out. This means business<br />
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I had one grainy picture from a text message to work from. The idea was a plain white cake with a tree branch going up it. Couldn't even distinguish the type of flowers. The week before the wedding I got the added info that the bride like black and white. (Note: I wasn't working directly with the bride but someone who was purchasing the cake as a gift).<br />
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I searched the Internets high and low for a good tree branch cake example. And let me tell you, they are few and far between. Most that I found were on a single layer cake (I had planned for 3 tiers) or they were really chunky. Not the looks I was going for with my first paid gig. This had to be spectacular.<br />
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During the search I did manage to find some examples of dogwood tree flowers that I really liked. I at least had a flower idea to move forward with. Since I didn't have a shape to use to cut these out of fondant, I drew something on a piece of paper then traced it onto the fondant with a sharp knife. They turned out great once molded and put together.<br />
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This cake was scheduled to be picked up Friday night so I started by making the 3 sizes of cake on Thursday evening. I went with 6", 8", and 10". My first instinct was to do 6", 10" and 14" (4" between sizes for 2" around each tier) but when I went to buy the 14" cake pan I realized I could probably feed 100+ people with the cake if I went this direction and I only needed to feed around 50. The sizes I picked actually turned out perfectly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibM6owAyqAM5wSCImC7a0Zw04KOtmWiPzR5w6MAE69lN2kAHVMoafwGa4ghX4Csol_7gAoDzBgl4lWJYlspP19MQAOsLQlhNM5gxalYDuatJMTEwAYXoAGFEnZeKbEA2VBBpbV_jwBwyg/s1600/IMG_6798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibM6owAyqAM5wSCImC7a0Zw04KOtmWiPzR5w6MAE69lN2kAHVMoafwGa4ghX4Csol_7gAoDzBgl4lWJYlspP19MQAOsLQlhNM5gxalYDuatJMTEwAYXoAGFEnZeKbEA2VBBpbV_jwBwyg/s1600/IMG_6798.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Middle layer getting chocolate buttercream icing</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjZzzw3XTrVdNy6aPmsVbT3sX-67LjYUBsQnR0Pcllx5FL3ke9MkzrcHjJTQwRNvisYSP6UVHd-E9FpZaBOLunqERQuPHdj8zW5kz4yDsrJnteuRZWWd_wO7BGYlSW4gJ5a4ICyWVC5U/s1600/IMG_6801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjZzzw3XTrVdNy6aPmsVbT3sX-67LjYUBsQnR0Pcllx5FL3ke9MkzrcHjJTQwRNvisYSP6UVHd-E9FpZaBOLunqERQuPHdj8zW5kz4yDsrJnteuRZWWd_wO7BGYlSW4gJ5a4ICyWVC5U/s1600/IMG_6801.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Best tip: flip the top layer of each tier upside down for a smooth/flat surface to work with</div>
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Since these cakes had edges straight from the pan (ie: nothing I had to cut exposing the middle which has a lot more crumbs) I was able to do their icing very easily. I watered down the buttercream enough that it was super smooth yet not running. I laid in it thick to cover the edges of cardboard each tier would sit on.</div>
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The final step to layering the cake included placing dowel rods into each tier that would hold another tier on top. I just placed them about an inch in from the edge of the tier above and 2 inches apart. Then I dropped (yes literally held it where I thought it would be centered and dropped it while saying a prayer). Once the tier is placed there is no moving it.</div>
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Once they were stacked I created a border between each tier so they didn't look so rough and made it look like a uniform cake. Then I made tiny fondant balls and placed them within the border.</div>
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Ready for a picture?</div>
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Isn't she a beauty?</div>
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Doing the branches that crawled up the cake was a go with the flow procedure. I just grabbed a handful of fondant and made a thick bottom then I thinned it out as I moved upward. I knew that adding a limb after the fact wouldn't look good so anywhere I thought a limb would look nice i just squeezed some fondant to the side. Once I got to a stopped point I ripped off the extra fondant and molded a final small limb. Then I went back and created all the other limbs. I had one branch climbing up the entire cake with 2 small branches each spanning 2 tiers on the front then an additional small branch on the back.</div>
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You can see the border a lot better here.</div>
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The top of the cake is always the big question for me. What do I do. My go to has always been a stack of flowers. That's how my wedding cake had been done and I've seen it online for cakes so I went with it. I placed a big blob of icing then laid 4 flowers around it and a flower on the top. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNv94FOLThjadFsTzazjkHWaxFMvf-f7xt70XZGgKSaPFJn3VRX67RVDyf_FVltcEX0C0xpJ_C8BtEQlOGqLU-BKCgmrcrckdmiTyXCqIBQ4qhrsTSCgI00jGWMQ_gVlmpUXBbmzwOgXA/s1600/IMG_6959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNv94FOLThjadFsTzazjkHWaxFMvf-f7xt70XZGgKSaPFJn3VRX67RVDyf_FVltcEX0C0xpJ_C8BtEQlOGqLU-BKCgmrcrckdmiTyXCqIBQ4qhrsTSCgI00jGWMQ_gVlmpUXBbmzwOgXA/s1600/IMG_6959.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The final step was a light dusting of silver shimmer over the branches, inside of the flowers and border. I accidentally used a wet brush when I started on the branches and found out a really liked how it gave a textured look to them since I was almost "painting" them. For everything else I used a dry brush and dusted the powder on. You can see a bit of the veining in the above photos on the branches. The shimmer is so light that it doesn't really photograph but in person it is noticeable.</div>
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Well now I can take that out of the books. First wedding cake, DONE!</div>
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<b>Have you been to any weddings yet this year? The Season of Love is soon upon us!</b></div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-38049326218898807142014-03-22T05:29:00.001-07:002014-03-22T05:29:06.421-07:00Thomas CakeMy oldest niece turned 3 right after Christmas. Finally after everyone got over being sick in their house, we threw a party to celebrate. This year the request was for a Thomas the Tank Engine themed party. Since I helped out last year by making her <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2013/01/kip-cake.html" target="_blank">cake</a> I offered to do so again. I figured a well known character would be easier than a character I had never heard of (Kipper from last year is a British TV show character). Not so...<br />
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I searched around Pinterest for ideas on how to create a Thomas the Tank Engine cake. I filled my <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/rebeccafw/cakes-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Cakes/Cupcakes</a> board with quite a few tutorials and googled the heck out of images of Thomas. It slowly started to come together as I worked on the cake but I had my doubts until the very end.<br />
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My mess of a kitchen.</div>
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I baked a large sheet pan cake (approximately 4 boxes of cake mix) on Thursday for the party Saturday. I broke the large sheet cake into some smaller pieces (but not so much that it wouldn't be large enough to use) then placed in the fridge overnight. On Friday morning I pulled everything out and built the cake. I used multiple layers and shapes and did a layer of icing between everything to make it stick.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUH0bOjhF8l_LXZk9baXDaPuxXPPG7NuCCcy34lCAXxVaD5el0NkPUdwHzWXtNNyd60G9nzj4VnG7-nHcycQzUXnJ3YC4vn7gR3VkmKUVV98no1fPV1t9lTn4coX5rcoeFZKRCOf9uM8/s1600/IMG_6135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUH0bOjhF8l_LXZk9baXDaPuxXPPG7NuCCcy34lCAXxVaD5el0NkPUdwHzWXtNNyd60G9nzj4VnG7-nHcycQzUXnJ3YC4vn7gR3VkmKUVV98no1fPV1t9lTn4coX5rcoeFZKRCOf9uM8/s1600/IMG_6135.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Building the layers.</div>
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I placed this back in the fridge just a bit for it to "harden" up some. This makes it a lot easier to ice without tiny pieces of cake crumbs being loose.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbTIs08umKvhhMfmOwFp0NkYyzSUXdhnag0Cu-Os9BopDu9eI5ENq0wuq4mlHDv_VVchdfZodxjIbFBbjd36smC41Lll70xwt3wziadLkhbwpVPX8xJqsrRy2XpWwBgUDYzBZXJ_Mkww/s1600/IMG_6144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbTIs08umKvhhMfmOwFp0NkYyzSUXdhnag0Cu-Os9BopDu9eI5ENq0wuq4mlHDv_VVchdfZodxjIbFBbjd36smC41Lll70xwt3wziadLkhbwpVPX8xJqsrRy2XpWwBgUDYzBZXJ_Mkww/s1600/IMG_6144.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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A good ol' "dirty" icing</div>
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This is the point where I found out due to sickness the party was cancelled and freaked out. Then I consulted Lord Google himself and found out I could freeze the cake. Guess I could have figured that out myself being that our wedding cake is still in the freezer sitting around for another bite at year 3. So I placed this into the freezer to harden up the icing before wrapping it. The next day I pulled it out quickly, wrapped with Saran Wrap and placed back in the freezer until who knows when at that point.</div>
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Once the party was rescheduled I pulled out the cake Friday afternoon before the Saturday party. I spent the evening putting a thicker layer of icing on the cake. It went on nice and smooth since the "dirty" icing left a better surface to work on. Then I layered it in fondant (trying not to think about that tough task) and did all the little decorative elements.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwG9cf7t4pFf-siDiKvCjK8JMqk5IJFMjhnkVywUKkCpcxlaXSrZd6RaokJ5PqPBt1AgcTzYV_699JJCGGsxtp6p3AxHbCdk1hpylWrY4aP6ojudUcMwVPN8Ty9vzMl33X6dcMufusjw/s1600/IMG_6299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwG9cf7t4pFf-siDiKvCjK8JMqk5IJFMjhnkVywUKkCpcxlaXSrZd6RaokJ5PqPBt1AgcTzYV_699JJCGGsxtp6p3AxHbCdk1hpylWrY4aP6ojudUcMwVPN8Ty9vzMl33X6dcMufusjw/s1600/IMG_6299.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Layer of fondant on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrmB3YqD046rp_Ig0ab7-twuBlMlTyVEmL5nGI8_vSZw2HaIinALrkaThlXvhvLHFQ0NcQ3GpH1JymCUrUdv4Xn5kJqsMe4QD-oQouvmus6afek2-V81SacJvSmjFavn89zdMln4ormo/s1600/IMG_6300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrmB3YqD046rp_Ig0ab7-twuBlMlTyVEmL5nGI8_vSZw2HaIinALrkaThlXvhvLHFQ0NcQ3GpH1JymCUrUdv4Xn5kJqsMe4QD-oQouvmus6afek2-V81SacJvSmjFavn89zdMln4ormo/s1600/IMG_6300.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Starting to look more like a train.</div>
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Top view.</div>
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Thomas himself (I made this way early so it would harden, it's from fondant as well) and train wheels (fondant circle with icing spokes)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTBNZ1DP9NmttmAhTxZB_eI0L4p1owzAOZDxgzVoHEitzsoupv_h3D-Diu9YOEhkg3_W97mKOahnncchRUJVZbw0XlYVmdaLb4Qz-q_czo2Rz7zIz-5pVzTGpOPNj2d71cgpSnhZMkIw/s1600/IMG_6308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTBNZ1DP9NmttmAhTxZB_eI0L4p1owzAOZDxgzVoHEitzsoupv_h3D-Diu9YOEhkg3_W97mKOahnncchRUJVZbw0XlYVmdaLb4Qz-q_czo2Rz7zIz-5pVzTGpOPNj2d71cgpSnhZMkIw/s1600/IMG_6308.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Railroad crossing signs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkONz3JrEzWI8yZW-PwaSzsYgnYFwFs3GGMrGKLzd0CXhGRyNzv_ZlEUde_H00NQsCjnfRYDz_Q4TvtY7IRBTDRcktzEEZKOhiIJchC9nuzfzS6VZvRioqaLXjuudWuk6nYdTPMh15EtI/s1600/IMG_6309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkONz3JrEzWI8yZW-PwaSzsYgnYFwFs3GGMrGKLzd0CXhGRyNzv_ZlEUde_H00NQsCjnfRYDz_Q4TvtY7IRBTDRcktzEEZKOhiIJchC9nuzfzS6VZvRioqaLXjuudWuk6nYdTPMh15EtI/s1600/IMG_6309.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Train Tracks.</div>
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Saturday morning I was up early and assembling the final touches. I also had to make the cupcakes that I was bringing to the party because I'm never sure how many my cakes will really feed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphinBXFrxxl9rF7rPXtx_jS4XuvMGUd-m1rUGkUG5ZGlYeOtzNAi4fq4gcCzDB3DQBouUz_1WCpt3oM01Uyc4Dz-eF3SM_TZH8RA7UyHBg_YUrWqMaDNmYUwp1l9dVEUtBnu9QbQyKlg/s1600/IMG_6306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphinBXFrxxl9rF7rPXtx_jS4XuvMGUd-m1rUGkUG5ZGlYeOtzNAi4fq4gcCzDB3DQBouUz_1WCpt3oM01Uyc4Dz-eF3SM_TZH8RA7UyHBg_YUrWqMaDNmYUwp1l9dVEUtBnu9QbQyKlg/s1600/IMG_6306.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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For your viewing pleasure: Thomas the Tank Engine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1_LOpvia7C8x0nAdOdSt-o2sSImuHyB3tTaQGma6ISHjyZoI2M-8_hZbKHt3pTxT9DJR9ba4nJDmTQWYzOejV9sNUV2A_eoJdxWRaN-ZD7YNBV3SGx-EyJRkffjMXVq259AmyxRj51Q/s1600/IMG_6307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1_LOpvia7C8x0nAdOdSt-o2sSImuHyB3tTaQGma6ISHjyZoI2M-8_hZbKHt3pTxT9DJR9ba4nJDmTQWYzOejV9sNUV2A_eoJdxWRaN-ZD7YNBV3SGx-EyJRkffjMXVq259AmyxRj51Q/s1600/IMG_6307.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Happy Birthday sweet girl!</div>
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Like I said, in the end I liked how it turned out, but I was doubtful during the process. Not perfect but the birthday girl was happy and that's all that matters.</div>
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So glad this bad boy survived an hour and a half drive to the party as well.</div>
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<b>Any birthday parties you've been celebrating lately?</b></div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-12291170116343670912014-01-31T07:06:00.002-08:002014-01-31T07:06:33.111-08:00Organize It: The pantryOn to the next spot in the house needing some organization.<br />
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I don't remember how we lived without the huge open kitchen and ample pantry area in our first house. In all honestly we didn't really have less stuff but when we moved and had more room, every nook and cranny was still full. I'm not sure how it happens, but I bet you all know the feeling.<br />
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I blame it on organization. In the townhouse I tried to keep things very organized since there was so little space. Things were grouped together, stacked, placed in boxes, etc. I might have had to move something to get another item but that was the way it would all fit. When we moved and started deciding how to organize the new place, we spread out a bit more. The small plates weren't stacked on the large plates which were on top of the serving plates. There was no longer stacks of 4 glasses but each sitting by themselves in the cabinet. <br />
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The pantry for the longest time was the catch all for kitchen items that had no place. The land of the misfit kitchen items. It was becoming a problem though. A problem that needed fixed before it got too out of hand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNsbPF30ElGNGfQTdc_HGtMHtM0bpSQhzQYkZ16E6vl8RkTx260VAhlfQAuiwBSm6wrR1c4mfgLqf03JOpczaislwBBPid_HrXW_l1FU9mPZ-3FMybOD7X0QqC8pm0GMzvftgjMcOBOA/s1600/IMG_5360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNsbPF30ElGNGfQTdc_HGtMHtM0bpSQhzQYkZ16E6vl8RkTx260VAhlfQAuiwBSm6wrR1c4mfgLqf03JOpczaislwBBPid_HrXW_l1FU9mPZ-3FMybOD7X0QqC8pm0GMzvftgjMcOBOA/s1600/IMG_5360.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Hey you lovely mess! Don't be fooled by the few organized areas. Or the fact that I removed some items before I remembered to take a picture.</div>
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I pulled everything out and spread it out on the kitchen table and counters. I started grouping everything together that once put back in would sit in one spot. We have serving platters, storage containers, pastas, baking supplies, all the extra paper towels we buy in bulk (why do we do this?!), knives, the griddle and foreman.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGqwDPN5zhSRo6omdLecaT0h1zDWUqcJEElfp43H0-yzPe_PWVh2_srCKKsZhThnLnnvo9t3c6DtMfsT_Hy0hfwGu7niKqSFAtuv3yNgye3gUYVN7sZpz1dMn0xpkfGo3rtPm-bXv8RI/s1600/IMG_5361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGqwDPN5zhSRo6omdLecaT0h1zDWUqcJEElfp43H0-yzPe_PWVh2_srCKKsZhThnLnnvo9t3c6DtMfsT_Hy0hfwGu7niKqSFAtuv3yNgye3gUYVN7sZpz1dMn0xpkfGo3rtPm-bXv8RI/s1600/IMG_5361.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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I could barely fit half of these items in there without warning people to not open the doors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M6igodETrrjweVM3voFFAwtNk69hdgzEvQCa2W2Xn_KBO5lxEkEo78Oeo48dYaUnYQ1D3xnpvrdTdm6rmhqQ5QNN9x7Yt4RWrw4x2wpAORv2MZ2CYs2J2K2ZD1VQTIv2p2WBYQ7KRNk/s1600/IMG_5362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2M6igodETrrjweVM3voFFAwtNk69hdgzEvQCa2W2Xn_KBO5lxEkEo78Oeo48dYaUnYQ1D3xnpvrdTdm6rmhqQ5QNN9x7Yt4RWrw4x2wpAORv2MZ2CYs2J2K2ZD1VQTIv2p2WBYQ7KRNk/s1600/IMG_5362.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Don't forget the random s'mores supplies next to the soup and tea bags.</div>
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Next step was to think about what we use most often. What items are just stored in here. How to I fit the most item into the space. How can I configure all the boxes to not take up valuable shelf space.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNDJbI9I5a__RXg7Yz28IJQJS_6Hu8msUaL4poosy8ELNJgkueEOqwYsd4dlYBCR5nYa-8ozoHcyyjdE5mAOoSVUSrqbKHBG5WOVunR0HqDkEfOinCL-MyHsCuYIf1eyAhMdUkx5jQzQ/s1600/IMG_5372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNDJbI9I5a__RXg7Yz28IJQJS_6Hu8msUaL4poosy8ELNJgkueEOqwYsd4dlYBCR5nYa-8ozoHcyyjdE5mAOoSVUSrqbKHBG5WOVunR0HqDkEfOinCL-MyHsCuYIf1eyAhMdUkx5jQzQ/s1600/IMG_5372.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Top shelves</div>
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Drink at the top. We don't drink very often so this doesn't have to be handy. This is also all the extra that doesn't fit with the liquor and things. We're hoping to find a wall mount wine rack we can use in the dining room. We also have a large serving bowl and some gallon drink containers if we're mixing something up. Hidden to the right is the griddle and foreman.</div>
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Next shelf down has a lot of my baking supplies, the cupcake stand which holds various items as well. We have a large seashell shaped serving bowl (from my wedding shower) that holds all the ready to make pastas (yes, these are a staple in our meals). Then on the far right is the pasta in Oxo containers and cereal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaw9quNAAObnAN78igyjLnePOlArXGosX-Fs8fkZZJ38IrEAM6Ph0n9eRZvygWnOWtk73nYkctOHHse3mj2VEclYKqV9U6W0Wlu9KWCR9tLxPsuo2kGavweWR4tP_de2Wm34NNceHslw/s1600/IMG_5373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaw9quNAAObnAN78igyjLnePOlArXGosX-Fs8fkZZJ38IrEAM6Ph0n9eRZvygWnOWtk73nYkctOHHse3mj2VEclYKqV9U6W0Wlu9KWCR9tLxPsuo2kGavweWR4tP_de2Wm34NNceHslw/s1600/IMG_5373.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love the organization this bowl of pasta gave us.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgr3yzJetl4t7Acuu_qLplt9LESPDIERZJVeWmsiYC4fqXP4aLZSxNxfc-i2LKyedXi_SCZgK9pATI45JyDaZcis9zYbz24TC8ElFCJ91Quo0YAnlm0tCRusxcJrwaph1EFfJZH51h9s/s1600/IMG_5374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgr3yzJetl4t7Acuu_qLplt9LESPDIERZJVeWmsiYC4fqXP4aLZSxNxfc-i2LKyedXi_SCZgK9pATI45JyDaZcis9zYbz24TC8ElFCJ91Quo0YAnlm0tCRusxcJrwaph1EFfJZH51h9s/s1600/IMG_5374.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Bottom levels</div>
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I forgot a picture of the one level that is cut off in the above picture. It has pancakes mixes, our knife block, soup (which we buy in bulk as well), breakfast bars, oatmeal.</div>
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Next is a lot of the storage items we buy in bulk (paper towels, napkins, ziplock bags). Then cans dressing, other supplies that last longer. To the right (which you can see below) is all our snack stuff like chips and cookies.</div>
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The bottom shelf and the floor house all the party supplies, boxes of serve ware and coolers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6m_aoLKQabHCckis0K7mGGseNJLTTFisl5J1U61HMeTmSjSX_THeXS2G-AWntIpFJgYVhavG4VUPJD_55i7ArFUJIlPZRFuw_JBUkwQccSvl4M6KwliLag7_s0WCHrx8UiNt481J4Og/s1600/IMG_5377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6m_aoLKQabHCckis0K7mGGseNJLTTFisl5J1U61HMeTmSjSX_THeXS2G-AWntIpFJgYVhavG4VUPJD_55i7ArFUJIlPZRFuw_JBUkwQccSvl4M6KwliLag7_s0WCHrx8UiNt481J4Og/s1600/IMG_5377.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Lookin' good.</div>
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The organization of the pantry has definitely made daily life a lot easier. I know I said most items aren't used frequently, but something in here is used at least daily. So opening the doors up and knowing exactly where to look is nice. It's kept up petty well so far (a few days) so we'll see how this set-up works for the long haul. I'm sure there will be some adjusting.</div>
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<b>Do you buy any items in bulk? Any handy tips on organizing a pantry you'd like to share?</b></div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-17624297291015772542014-01-29T12:11:00.001-08:002014-01-29T12:11:11.640-08:00Organize It: The ribbon boxToday starts me cleaning of the catch all room. As I've mentioned before we bought a much larger house to become our forever home. It has rooms we don't even use. Heck, the kitties have full reign of the 500 sq. ft basement that I rarely see. The one thing I think our house is really missing is a proper mud room. I live in Ohio people, 80% of the year the weather sucks and I have wet, muddy, or snowy shoes that need removed and a coat to take off and hang. Our laundry room is right across from the door we enter through (from the garage) and we place all shoes and coats here. But when I walk in the house with my arms full of stuff from shopping, it goes in the catch all room.<br />
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This is also known as the craft room, the office, the back room, the workout room....the list goes on. We just got a cable box for back there so I've been spending more time in there cleaning up and organizing. To organize the whole room though, there are a lot of little things I must organize first. I'm getting there, tiny bits at a time.<br />
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Enough rambling.<br />
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For a few years now I've had a box thrown in with my scrapbook stuff where I store ribbon. Spools, tiny pieces, from gifts, scraps I find. Every little bit! I started by throwing out the worthless stuff then went ahead organizing the rest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjmRf1Zh9uRLxCKol0VmrxGIAlMFpimJq8FR673H3G4DLZglciyr2snylXxA2mQlYWb_2sAZ4ht0ozU-8VWbB1MfIMXz1bn_lYzlgoSfabDk5R2EamI8tKlxl1wfqofg2FYSSxNGx7ZQ/s1600/IMG_20140121_185530_885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjmRf1Zh9uRLxCKol0VmrxGIAlMFpimJq8FR673H3G4DLZglciyr2snylXxA2mQlYWb_2sAZ4ht0ozU-8VWbB1MfIMXz1bn_lYzlgoSfabDk5R2EamI8tKlxl1wfqofg2FYSSxNGx7ZQ/s1600/IMG_20140121_185530_885.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Nothing too scary right?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgfC89vhQ7eFtqmp9RN9a163_MEDFmdkSlVtu_Ri5Ww831oW0k73A07yghitzRysLn1gcnBa81qZgs5Z45kvSu0qjBKXYTUaChsrudfl7ad5yuLqLhFoRgmjUmgYZ_zD6KHrAw0gOWb8/s1600/IMG_20140121_185455_523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgfC89vhQ7eFtqmp9RN9a163_MEDFmdkSlVtu_Ri5Ww831oW0k73A07yghitzRysLn1gcnBa81qZgs5Z45kvSu0qjBKXYTUaChsrudfl7ad5yuLqLhFoRgmjUmgYZ_zD6KHrAw0gOWb8/s1600/IMG_20140121_185455_523.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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WRONG! Pop that bad boy open (well actually it wouldn't even shut) and you have an explosion!</div>
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I tried to roll them up then lay into the box, but they kept unrolling. No bueno.<br />
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Laying nearby in the crafts pile were a bunch of twist ties left over from small clear plastic gift bags. I usually use ribbon to tie them up instead but have kept the twist ties. I decided to give them a go.<br />
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At first I wrapped it under and around, but I found that it was squeezing the ribbon too much. If it stayed like that for a long time, when I go to unwrap and use sometime it wouldn't be smooth. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SmK7w27xFbVQ8deNvVoKDE7DZw5LI9ZBqNUnAL-kQMAs7evrexi7xLQ0xfXPgkt0qgUhgYy5KHo8-by90XSWVHYoSwqaJxNIrgg7AEdM7Q95pc-7gNu4l8xmuOIKWvQWI19Oq3t4RAk/s1600/IMG_20140121_185547_082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SmK7w27xFbVQ8deNvVoKDE7DZw5LI9ZBqNUnAL-kQMAs7evrexi7xLQ0xfXPgkt0qgUhgYy5KHo8-by90XSWVHYoSwqaJxNIrgg7AEdM7Q95pc-7gNu4l8xmuOIKWvQWI19Oq3t4RAk/s1600/IMG_20140121_185547_082.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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So I switched to tying from one side to the other. I left it loose, squeezed it tight and then twisted. These seemed to work great. Bad description, let's look at some pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGQvM9zHKi0ZkQPv6cSjAHl_PpIsrIa8dEHM2eo1NtaCY6W3ag6NHifBmJirg_Y8LpllvP7FYadZlUCra1HbEX5qO7XPg9XosaUcVpHxikOV7AhkBd3IiYVsQVXT5eBYnIWIYsqhHrLQ/s1600/IMG_20140121_185604_132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGQvM9zHKi0ZkQPv6cSjAHl_PpIsrIa8dEHM2eo1NtaCY6W3ag6NHifBmJirg_Y8LpllvP7FYadZlUCra1HbEX5qO7XPg9XosaUcVpHxikOV7AhkBd3IiYVsQVXT5eBYnIWIYsqhHrLQ/s1600/IMG_20140121_185604_132.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Looking neat and pretty</div>
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Thick ribbon, thin ribbon</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqCmL1xYjdnDH7jgDH4weNkCii9CDuz9MViKkixFJLZ-G27QuYvwlNlEUKnTwKIx4duvC0BZnBu1rb-7GXQhyf2uXZ2OMPl8a8nFYS5AsAIPl3KL5SMrqSlH6B0WWY-oq1YpWxgtZvBs/s1600/IMG_20140121_191446_974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqCmL1xYjdnDH7jgDH4weNkCii9CDuz9MViKkixFJLZ-G27QuYvwlNlEUKnTwKIx4duvC0BZnBu1rb-7GXQhyf2uXZ2OMPl8a8nFYS5AsAIPl3KL5SMrqSlH6B0WWY-oq1YpWxgtZvBs/s1600/IMG_20140121_191446_974.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rope and chord</div>
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Patterned and solid</div>
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Alright, that's starting to sound a bit like a Dr. Seuss book.</div>
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I organized it all. Every last piece got wrangled up and twist tied.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPBkxqPkjibnSHhBfLbY6HijWr2au1jCIf3627SRFN45Dc1yvmY3g2HN2fMo3Ne__TB8lA1wFxZFsaavIOEqfVPnXvsVUArY5Av4iJFfLm43l2EWB7M_9bousybwRsuGWaWDS7XzOkqI/s1600/IMG_20140121_191410_652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPBkxqPkjibnSHhBfLbY6HijWr2au1jCIf3627SRFN45Dc1yvmY3g2HN2fMo3Ne__TB8lA1wFxZFsaavIOEqfVPnXvsVUArY5Av4iJFfLm43l2EWB7M_9bousybwRsuGWaWDS7XzOkqI/s1600/IMG_20140121_191410_652.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ahh, organized</div>
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I'm happy with the results and that everything now fits into the box. Part of the reason the box never shut before though was because of the spools of ribbon I have. A few I took off since there wasn't much left, but other larger rolls have been tossed into the crafts bin for now. Organizing that is another day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49JbxKdjuhBaHxmjiAI_m1gM_5gVu5_D1ktQ2o20cEumyksLXPDGFmiRxp6ypvKGxWGpcDLYhI_OYw0fas8VXY5AZESPkf9qUFnCk-Yvr8rNVp3APuPdzgqWbxI15at8SSvafL7Aa33Y/s1600/IMG_20140121_191952_219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49JbxKdjuhBaHxmjiAI_m1gM_5gVu5_D1ktQ2o20cEumyksLXPDGFmiRxp6ypvKGxWGpcDLYhI_OYw0fas8VXY5AZESPkf9qUFnCk-Yvr8rNVp3APuPdzgqWbxI15at8SSvafL7Aa33Y/s1600/IMG_20140121_191952_219.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Nice. Clean. Organized.</div>
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And that my friends is the tale of the ribbon taming.</div>
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<b>What are you organizing around your place? Or are you waiting for Spring cleaning to really kick you in the butt?</b></div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-42435652460750305652013-11-19T14:22:00.000-08:002013-11-19T14:22:37.977-08:00Apple Cider CupcakesI never claim that the cupcakes I bake and show you guys are imagined in my own head. Because truth be told, I'm not as creative as I like to think I am. I do claim that I LOVE cupcakes and baking though! Decorating/Icing cupcakes is definitely my idea of a fun time. Feel free to check out my entire Pinterest Board dedicated to <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/rebeccafw/cakes-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Cupcakes</a>.<br />
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So let's get to it and look at some fabulous Apple Cider Cupcakes (recipe found <a href="http://bestcookingrecipesinformation.blogspot.com/2013/05/apple-cider-cupcakes-with-butter.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I've been dying to get some apple cider to drink all Fall and this was the perfect excuse to buy some. Since I only needed one cup there was A LOT left over for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWG25Z5bgjw5KBPX-47RD3iHjhJtyaB0tzNs6B5skmqvilcVu5EzWDtmjAbrwkwWwR2U6sv5_oFiFUbkiPoWbZzj4wzQGgKS4WrhA0oNeyLRxT8Ds_3dfLJutiJbB2hhEGwHs6ErhjDY/s1600/IMG_5351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWG25Z5bgjw5KBPX-47RD3iHjhJtyaB0tzNs6B5skmqvilcVu5EzWDtmjAbrwkwWwR2U6sv5_oFiFUbkiPoWbZzj4wzQGgKS4WrhA0oNeyLRxT8Ds_3dfLJutiJbB2hhEGwHs6ErhjDY/s1600/IMG_5351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forgive the bad lighting, that's what you get for taking pictures at 5:30 am</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIepcYSGSs5TgA9wcBjjl5h1ctqnsM3H6hb6dkwLw7rREgZzrf_RgQMgf6MG0CKu7Asebm13gKJIu2gWT_s9lgABiLy7VrNplxi4RrK6pLBO3JZefC8HxhNul0U1VtSpVZ2tpbDWdVN4U/s1600/IMG_5355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIepcYSGSs5TgA9wcBjjl5h1ctqnsM3H6hb6dkwLw7rREgZzrf_RgQMgf6MG0CKu7Asebm13gKJIu2gWT_s9lgABiLy7VrNplxi4RrK6pLBO3JZefC8HxhNul0U1VtSpVZ2tpbDWdVN4U/s1600/IMG_5355.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with chocolate</div>
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Two major critiques on these cupcakes and icing. <br />
1. The cupcakes were dense. They seemed more like muffins to me in that sense. Oddly, I made caramel apple cupcakes a few weeks ago (and a friend also made another recipe for caramel apple cupcakes last week) and they were dense too. I'm wondering if it's an apple thing. <br />
2. The icing was very runny. I had to put this in the fridge just to get it to set up enough for me to frost them all fancy. Even the left over that was in the fridge for a week (and I snacked on) never got very hard. Maybe I'm just not use to it since my icings are usually pretty thick.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaNeD1z0Wg9B75HkJpyxV5SMX9xw2wTYpL8rZQAPj5fG2AmY33FMHmNPZMGPWfnMGw-1MlvBM0KQ5x4tzWAfdJnxtHJfOQ1y830PH2n8GNqwHqa-ersI4qgMwfZv1eUa8oAmUkURLRiQ/s1600/IMG_5359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaNeD1z0Wg9B75HkJpyxV5SMX9xw2wTYpL8rZQAPj5fG2AmY33FMHmNPZMGPWfnMGw-1MlvBM0KQ5x4tzWAfdJnxtHJfOQ1y830PH2n8GNqwHqa-ersI4qgMwfZv1eUa8oAmUkURLRiQ/s1600/IMG_5359.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I like the cupcake MUCH better than a candle as the centerpiece!</div>
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<b>Have you baked anything delicious lately? What do/would you spike your apple cider with?</b></div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-2528412204001335462013-10-31T08:13:00.001-07:002013-10-31T08:13:17.250-07:00It's looking like Fall around hereFirst off, Happy Halloween! This post is JUST making it is time to be semi-relevant since there is Halloween stuff involved. <br />
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I blogged about the fabulous built-in shelves that live in my living room <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2013/03/inspiration-living-room-built-ins.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but never really did anything with them. I can't believe I have been in the new house 7.5 months. It feels like just yesterday, but in the same way seems like it's been forever. I guess that really proves it's our forever home when it feels so right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjMi8hO2zZzSnvqKd6yYFuhqdGAP6_C-1P8h1rrL511cq_66A8l3n_dxZcryh5W7v6M77_E1fN-qwQjN_hqOhZX48vwcm6riMVhRFCqyc_7O3Riv9fejLoNsqaUtDVkg60OpSwFTyHxI/s1600/IMG_4763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjMi8hO2zZzSnvqKd6yYFuhqdGAP6_C-1P8h1rrL511cq_66A8l3n_dxZcryh5W7v6M77_E1fN-qwQjN_hqOhZX48vwcm6riMVhRFCqyc_7O3Riv9fejLoNsqaUtDVkg60OpSwFTyHxI/s1600/IMG_4763.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before: my current style was decorating with cards apparently. And yes, I can't reach the top so much doesn't go there right now until i find good permanent pieces.</div>
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Anyways, back to the shelves. I figured they would be my main decoration display feature during the holidays, but then realized we aren't in that room too often, so I wouldn't get to see very much of what I put out. So I walked around the house looking for some other rooms/locations to get festive with.<br />
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I can never decide how to decorate during the Fall since Halloween and Thanksgiving both Fall within the time span so I decided to do a little bit of everything. I'll be taking down the extra Halloween-ey stuff this weekend and leaving the Fall decor up till Christmas (or maybe New Years at the rate I'm going).<br />
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The built-ins did get a little bit of spiffing up. I traded around some pieces, tried to de-clutter a bit and pretty much threw whatever didn't go elsewhere. The jar of corks got moved from their usual spot on the mantle (stay tuned this is my favorite decorating spot) and the bowl with the large orbs got swapped for some fall colored items. Burnt orange has always been my decorating taste since buying our first house, so this time of year is perfect for many of our things. Lots of what gets left out year round fits in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrjVyOtADiUh3oiKNZOCtFnUtJFVWqntqrxUfuCkhG2_sY5-MMh4mgKd9SagZgUAkwMwK6gbwQobHOApqzZK-xsYPcx8T_-YMtGSOpeB5m7C-u85dfG37GyrXXg13id4gTt5YITKRcMQ/s1600/IMG_5134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrjVyOtADiUh3oiKNZOCtFnUtJFVWqntqrxUfuCkhG2_sY5-MMh4mgKd9SagZgUAkwMwK6gbwQobHOApqzZK-xsYPcx8T_-YMtGSOpeB5m7C-u85dfG37GyrXXg13id4gTt5YITKRcMQ/s1600/IMG_5134.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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After: Lamp got moved in here, still working with a good placement of it. All the cards are gone leaving less clutter but a lot more dead space, both good and bad.</div>
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The little, round table in our foyer is fairly new. My parents are down-sizing and I am taking all the things they don't want. It's getting bad, my husband hates it, but we DO have a large house to fill. I'll stop when there are no more spaces left which we are far from. After accepting this from my parents I realized one day it was the table that use to sit in the upstairs of our old house (not the one they are downsizing from). So glad we could find a space for it in our home. Memories....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA6kvdVp3sbRDSGVZXwybkZ8mQ6_AqW8LlBmHjA_4Xivq9xms4FDo6zeJazfEWo9wzHCLhvWOG3z3GRL3SpVZVas1u5v6Z2kNoBNZrCc2CnzhUWa8j01ABTHZB6rYjh2mKpgad1obMEI/s1600/IMG_4766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhA6kvdVp3sbRDSGVZXwybkZ8mQ6_AqW8LlBmHjA_4Xivq9xms4FDo6zeJazfEWo9wzHCLhvWOG3z3GRL3SpVZVas1u5v6Z2kNoBNZrCc2CnzhUWa8j01ABTHZB6rYjh2mKpgad1obMEI/s1600/IMG_4766.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Before: Very boring...just a little lace doily.</div>
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I attempted to put a cob-web up on the railing at the stairs but the cats were "re-decorating" it every day and finally I gave up. I'd like to make this a nice spot to hang a banner throughout the seasons.<br />
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So the table got the "cob-web" on a candle stick and fall basket. This doily was swapped out for this place mat and another candle and acorn dish were thrown down. Ignore the ugly Halloween tin on the bottom. It stored a lot of the little things and never got back to storage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqC0Tj8ZVToE0hSo_3yb5zLB6PgRKcLlFhMB8xjwY_YSdQ6O6ZknJilqLMIOt7ykCpACw8YuFsTSk36tBnupuFHicFFZynmjbhg_mTXANasDbe-PeYFwetgwrdvXsHHHspC60BVURHZk/s1600/IMG_5137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqC0Tj8ZVToE0hSo_3yb5zLB6PgRKcLlFhMB8xjwY_YSdQ6O6ZknJilqLMIOt7ykCpACw8YuFsTSk36tBnupuFHicFFZynmjbhg_mTXANasDbe-PeYFwetgwrdvXsHHHspC60BVURHZk/s1600/IMG_5137.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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After: Any ideas on how to decorate these walls, they are B-O-R-I-N-G!</div>
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In an attempt to add some festive flair in the kitchen/breakfast nook, I threw up this bat garland (which I had bought for the dorm in college) and added a spooky sign. I love buying items from the craft stores right after the holiday when it's all on sale. That's how this little guy came into my possession.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoO6hCh3GG0arSTYoIydqirUu6Zp0M11WxN_F_65lnfqa8V-XUZ0QcbKHpdRFcysNpNB9xkBb21bhed_72f8jjEMbPRubz9rV7WlpCfVn3aRyqVkjx-cqRugyVozHf3p60qAA-7fY2V50/s1600/IMG_5140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoO6hCh3GG0arSTYoIydqirUu6Zp0M11WxN_F_65lnfqa8V-XUZ0QcbKHpdRFcysNpNB9xkBb21bhed_72f8jjEMbPRubz9rV7WlpCfVn3aRyqVkjx-cqRugyVozHf3p60qAA-7fY2V50/s1600/IMG_5140.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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After: Just spiffing up the pantry door. (For the before just image those two items not there, good).</div>
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The dining room, another area rarely used but walked through a bazillion times a day, got a few pieces as well. The lazy susan lives on this table and is always holding the large hurricane vase which was a wedding present. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoYsUT952Tl7wyExG5963Mkv1usQH13TRkx8a36jxuBasi5gjgpm0X16mDZXacjpUPY8vTWhB4FVs4aUQCAVTB1sG82pZ13s8V1RjlDKoEffcJu3PhyIFBEhn8X2cfARnH7Beq1Xrh2A/s1600/IMG_4767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoYsUT952Tl7wyExG5963Mkv1usQH13TRkx8a36jxuBasi5gjgpm0X16mDZXacjpUPY8vTWhB4FVs4aUQCAVTB1sG82pZ13s8V1RjlDKoEffcJu3PhyIFBEhn8X2cfARnH7Beq1Xrh2A/s1600/IMG_4767.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before: Oh look, daylight in this photo. Another room that really needs to be more put together.</div>
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I change out the candle and filler for the seasons. I have yet to lite the short, fat, three-wick candle that came with it. I'm weird, I hate lighting candles. So I have about 5 pumpkin scented candles all over the house but none are lit. The table runner is another hand me down from mom. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS65ByEdG3IPkTlLbm8OCGqp80baWvdiSIzKeX3cbzKDvi7ZS8gk6RvwCivBm-S9KBYMwsoQcK8a9muB74o-nXzwiSEIDcjtYOPAN_cMMx13IRR__4PTahVO8Wb0Jl6QaA8lbfr-DUCoY/s1600/IMG_5139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS65ByEdG3IPkTlLbm8OCGqp80baWvdiSIzKeX3cbzKDvi7ZS8gk6RvwCivBm-S9KBYMwsoQcK8a9muB74o-nXzwiSEIDcjtYOPAN_cMMx13IRR__4PTahVO8Wb0Jl6QaA8lbfr-DUCoY/s1600/IMG_5139.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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After: Yes I have a fabulous corner hutch back there I could have decorated, but I didn't. Not enough decor for all this space yet.</div>
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By far my favorite place to decorate is the mantle. It's in the family room so I see if every day and stare at it all evening. It really is a blank canvas in general. When we moved in we added the mirror, hoping to bounce some light around in the room and the clock usually stay up there too. To the right is the entertainment center which is another great spot to decorate but I didn't. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gR-MHqZYm_3_s-zAdvlFl9B1tBnAUb8bmPsoxa4Gb9X7uiclu3LdcW9yVhP2cs7_JoQVW8jBpb0kHzXq63WTNUkcjmKyWgibn1ifFuUiMYDFTutZQhy7KfxkVXTwr3-NLG6Fe5U055g/s1600/IMG_4759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gR-MHqZYm_3_s-zAdvlFl9B1tBnAUb8bmPsoxa4Gb9X7uiclu3LdcW9yVhP2cs7_JoQVW8jBpb0kHzXq63WTNUkcjmKyWgibn1ifFuUiMYDFTutZQhy7KfxkVXTwr3-NLG6Fe5U055g/s1600/IMG_4759.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before: Isn't he fabulous? We just had our first fire in there last week</div>
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I tired to play with varying heights but am not sure I quite succeeded. This guy will definitely get some tweaking until I find the perfect decorations to use. Again, a garland or banner would look great here (like the before picture but my husband insisted that one get taken down).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-RDS4Ln_rFGT4L8yU1H4512L1u-AFNs-YwMxIbMUFtR-QV_orNY7MEu9ieQvBKI3zQEN6NX3VkqvUsUJ7TrcMx3Lr8aACL_iTkkTFGvs0UHT_4CwnmAyNd46qFdBjlmD284DQxhAIEI/s1600/IMG_5142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-RDS4Ln_rFGT4L8yU1H4512L1u-AFNs-YwMxIbMUFtR-QV_orNY7MEu9ieQvBKI3zQEN6NX3VkqvUsUJ7TrcMx3Lr8aACL_iTkkTFGvs0UHT_4CwnmAyNd46qFdBjlmD284DQxhAIEI/s1600/IMG_5142.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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After: Mostly a hint of Fall and Thanksgiving with a nod to Halloween using the crow.</div>
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So there we have it. Trying to spread my minimal decoration around the house. I'm hoping to score some after season sales on other items. Since this was the first time decorating this space during this time of year I really had to get a feel for what more I wanted/needed. I learned I definitely have a lot more space to work with than I really thought. I can only go up from here though!</div>
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<b>Do you decorate for Fall and Halloween separately? What's your favorite spot in your house to decorate?</b><br />
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-79320296038535255622013-08-26T09:40:00.001-07:002013-08-26T09:40:28.500-07:00A Day in the Life of MeI've been trying to find a day that is semi-normal. That I'm doing at least something consistent that I do every day but besides waking and going to sleep (only to some extent) I rarely have had a typical day this year. Working killer amounts of overtime will do that to do I guess...and selling a house, moving into an apartment, buying a house, moving into said house....the list never ends.<br />
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So what follows is a "typical" day in the life. I'm breaking from norm and not following a single day but Doing A mash up of my days. And actually life has recently gone back to normal only in anticipation of in completely changing again. So without further adieu, a day in the life.<br />
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<b>5:30 am </b><br />
The alarm on my phone goes off. How is it morning already? I browse facebook (a lot happens after I go to bed at night) and delete all the 'spam' from my email while laying in bed and trying to wake up. The light from the phone helps. My friends think it's funny I reply to all kinda of things at 530am as opposed to midnight like they do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuc2bstBLix6LMqsccQd0hguPssy4E3sOaaNx_pwx6rtvdhietNVzo2P_5mauf-vQTJdeU1suOwFTrN4wYDIPuBUdWCzQqgRfOGwI-K0UjLev0m2w03WrbY0LvEBscOaATZliZxu8-Ms/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuc2bstBLix6LMqsccQd0hguPssy4E3sOaaNx_pwx6rtvdhietNVzo2P_5mauf-vQTJdeU1suOwFTrN4wYDIPuBUdWCzQqgRfOGwI-K0UjLev0m2w03WrbY0LvEBscOaATZliZxu8-Ms/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Goodmorning</div>
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<b>5:35-6 am</b><br />
I don't believe in the snooze button. Never have and never will, not even in college. If I'm gonna hit the 5 minute snooze 3 times, just set the alarm for 15 minute later. Snooze sleep is worthless anyways. If I wake up naturally within 15 minute of my alarm going off I just get up because otherwise that semi-sleep isn't worth it to me.<br />
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Now that I'm off that tangent. This time is me getting ready for work. Mostly just standing in the bathroom half that time still trying to wake up. I don't like to shower in the morning because then I have to blow dry my hair which I prefer not to do, I have enough split ends without ever using a blow dryer. So the morning is really just washing my face, putting on some basic make-up and getting dressed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gA7o40OuD6gwCdRBUg_rOanLReCsGNH99zTQIWmz1mPomBpz8JJVQ3_xvxkykbOmGxzG9pWW6bwhgKyduI_Bod3QFeYAC_qXJZ96T49fsalCyFwct5b3KWJOkWzPSMUaz8f8EJtHg3Y/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gA7o40OuD6gwCdRBUg_rOanLReCsGNH99zTQIWmz1mPomBpz8JJVQ3_xvxkykbOmGxzG9pWW6bwhgKyduI_Bod3QFeYAC_qXJZ96T49fsalCyFwct5b3KWJOkWzPSMUaz8f8EJtHg3Y/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>6 am</b><br />
Head downstairs and grab my lunch from the fridge. Make sure I have my purse, wallet, phone, work computer bag and anything else I may need that day (like a gym bag).<br />
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<b>6:10 am</b><br />
Heading out the door. Make sure I have parking money (it's never fun to pay in quarters) and get the stereo set. My commute can take anywhere from 30 minutes (when I leave early like now or any time before) to 45 minutes (typical traffic if it's busy) to 2 hours (when there is a lot of snow or accidents).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3v4iYoQjxFFvblyCO4dCUGQG2petRlPIMeMpU-0F32KvVyAlvHYN0DBRSaw-vfKglHIytVhNtrwMgbsUBdFjzo7JM_Cv_70Be1lceiHBk2zIcaDJXPkl1Qya6qqNj05KYirLg1I52BSM/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3v4iYoQjxFFvblyCO4dCUGQG2petRlPIMeMpU-0F32KvVyAlvHYN0DBRSaw-vfKglHIytVhNtrwMgbsUBdFjzo7JM_Cv_70Be1lceiHBk2zIcaDJXPkl1Qya6qqNj05KYirLg1I52BSM/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One bonus of working so early I get to see beautiful skies every day (PS: Don't take pictures and drive).</div>
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<b>7 am</b><br />
By this time I've walked into the office from the parking deck. It's a small lot (the cheapest) about 2 blocks from my office. Sit down and power up the computer. Usually just 1 or 2 other people are in at this time. In my office people come in anywhere between 6 am (yes I was doing this for a long time) and 9:30/10 am.<br />
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From here on out I do different things every day depending on how far along a project is. I'm a civil engineer. I design roadways and put together plan sets. I also work on document control of really big projects which involves lots of emails throughout the day. Recently I began keeping a list to help keep my email organized. You have technology but it always comes back to basic pen and paper. Throughout the day I take some various break.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MTnafi71a3SakRzAA7rvJTY7FcZ_7TgHL3tAvs4S8UEZ2Rv_TiP0KfeZAtA79bmPYEUnxTVbC09ROJnQi08rVl7Wybe0iesw2xsBt5dGTwd55oLacHSQhy8EoVpJU0Wdekb4Lre74t4/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MTnafi71a3SakRzAA7rvJTY7FcZ_7TgHL3tAvs4S8UEZ2Rv_TiP0KfeZAtA79bmPYEUnxTVbC09ROJnQi08rVl7Wybe0iesw2xsBt5dGTwd55oLacHSQhy8EoVpJU0Wdekb4Lre74t4/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some plans from a job at work</div>
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<b>Sometime between 9:30 and 10:30 am</b><br />
Take a few minutes to have some breakfast. Likely oatmeal. If someone brought something into the office I'll eat that instead. I can never refuse a free donut (or bagel). Depending on when I take this break I'll check up on some blogs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhi83eIOCUogO1364GfkWdolznF-tZahuDqrgbO6jUdeTIUueqcjGiWjHqJ41k1SbGDtAtM_YS0pAHRmgAELqwEmz5xibX_n0NuvRbHWCFWmOTB2BqxIGshgSPNSH2WT9t6RRUI43X8Y/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhi83eIOCUogO1364GfkWdolznF-tZahuDqrgbO6jUdeTIUueqcjGiWjHqJ41k1SbGDtAtM_YS0pAHRmgAELqwEmz5xibX_n0NuvRbHWCFWmOTB2BqxIGshgSPNSH2WT9t6RRUI43X8Y/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Someone brought in mini muffins for me to enjoy with my peach oatmeal</div>
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<b>Sometime between 1 and 1:30 pm</b><br />
I take my hour lunch break. Usually I've packed something. It's typically left overs or else a salad. My new favorite is salad with corn, chicken, colby jack cheese and ranch dressing. If people in the office are going out to lunch this usually happens around 11:30 so my eating schedule is altered (or I just skip breakfast).<br />
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<b>4 pm</b><br />
This is the time I leave the office on a normal day (like what I'm trying to document). As long as I'm not in the middle of something I head out by 4 otherwise I wrap things up and then head out. When I pull out of the parking garage I play the 'Which Way to Turn' game every day. And if there is a game in the city, that makes it even more fun. It has tookmTook minutes to get the 5 blocks to the highway before (and that's even been in good weather). Being downtown kind of stinks, but I usually make it out in 5 minutes or so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bJsjoa4mvE3Ega-2-aFuA8nYlirEPhaZlz4H8AABb7Sul-Vyy38nPh5yGB49r4oWDVR6-ygDwLgD9mverert6677wmPYP3_s_zauh_mf6sAd2gvLkYlXfs6mqLkiYzTYlIgiq5gUDPw/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bJsjoa4mvE3Ega-2-aFuA8nYlirEPhaZlz4H8AABb7Sul-Vyy38nPh5yGB49r4oWDVR6-ygDwLgD9mverert6677wmPYP3_s_zauh_mf6sAd2gvLkYlXfs6mqLkiYzTYlIgiq5gUDPw/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Peace out CLE. (OK, this is from an evening I worked sunrise to sunset, not cool)</div>
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<b>5 pm</b><br />
I like when I get the opportunity to visit the gym. We are members of our college's Rec Center which is super fancy and as alumni it's actually the same price as a membership elsewhere. I say it's so nice because the classes are included and there is a pool (though I've only used both those perks a handful of times when I was a student). Mainly l like it because there are MULTIPLE tvs, with tons of equipment and a lot to choose from. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZefNXzYQslao76iAvbdRK6AeCkyeyeEOgW_xJu4STIIRIQTrKZ5FwHVKM437j554t3gBe3BzdCO0aoDuSk_KO6FCRpht-7sJVJHLvPgm1dqzwtl3BadV_fAHy58JSOh1VoS1ayM-UX40/s1600/h_w_interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZefNXzYQslao76iAvbdRK6AeCkyeyeEOgW_xJu4STIIRIQTrKZ5FwHVKM437j554t3gBe3BzdCO0aoDuSk_KO6FCRpht-7sJVJHLvPgm1dqzwtl3BadV_fAHy58JSOh1VoS1ayM-UX40/s1600/h_w_interior.jpg" /></a></div>
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And this is only about a quarter of it. Not including the weight area, the rock climbing wall, the lazy river/whirlpool/hot tub pool, Olympic sized pool, fitness classrooms, various courts...</div>
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A workout usually includes the elliptical, stair stepper and the treadmill (sometimes the stationary bike to change things up). I spend in total about an hour at the gym. I like to go at 5 pm because Dr Phil is on (don't judge me) and the drama is enough to make an hour pass quickly. Although other times someone has messed with the TVs and you're stuck with Friends' re-runs.<br />
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If I'm not headed to the gym I usually get home and try to relax or organize the house for a bit.<br />
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<b>6:30 pm</b><br />
I'm home from the gym or bored of sitting around and it's time to do something. I'll shower and pick out clothes for tomorrow. If you've never picked out your clothes ahead of time I seriously recommend it. I use to pick out stuff for the entire week on Sundays. It was so nice and also a lot easier when in college and you didn't have to think about what to wear. Now I have to consider what is going on at work, are we going out to lunch and walking somewhere (no big high heels), what is the weather like... A day ahead seems to work out very well though.<br />
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<b>7 pm</b><br />
Hopefully we're eating dinner by now. If we haven't decided what to eat by now I threaten to eat cereal (which I love and leaves my husband to peanut butter and jelly). We are HORRIBLE meal planners. Mostly because we are both picky eaters and neither of us is big into cooking. I don't want to spend 30 minutes or more prepping and making a meal when I've been gone from my house for the past 12 hours. Definitely not ideal to me. While some love to cook, I love to do other things around my house or just relax. My time in the kitchen usually involves cupcakes mostly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIb8_tms5yAqlTyjJk2b32wxj3JEv8L-3UMg0xw3mNAGow4RGltveK468_G9TecuUZk-IunWQUGdBdlni5LgarGI4JQVzq3KLX9MY__7X7omeDjW1z-zie3JZAYR4Eq9Vp9AjOHDiPA4/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIb8_tms5yAqlTyjJk2b32wxj3JEv8L-3UMg0xw3mNAGow4RGltveK468_G9TecuUZk-IunWQUGdBdlni5LgarGI4JQVzq3KLX9MY__7X7omeDjW1z-zie3JZAYR4Eq9Vp9AjOHDiPA4/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Brought these in last week. Chocolate cherry, yum!</div>
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<b>8 pm</b><br />
By now something has been eaten and we've cleaned up. Spending time in the kitchen usually leads to me putting away mail, organizing our 'drop zone' and packing food for the next day. Sometimes I'll get a load of laundry in too. I have a problem remembering to move stuff to the dryer from the washer or emptying the dryer, so unless I am nearby, very little gets done. This is why I usually spend an entire weekend day doing a TON of loads to get laundry done. I've also recently made our kitchen table the spot to put everything that needs put away still from moving into the new house. There are just SO MANY THINGS! We're getting there very slowly.<br />
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(Because a day in the life isn't complete without at least 1 of my kitties)</div>
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He's clearly "helping" with the laundry...</div>
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<b>9 pm</b><br />
By this point I just want to relax. My husband gets home at least an hour before me (and he leaves 30 minutes after me, call me jealous) so he usually has control of the remote during the evening while other things have been going on. So around 9 I always head upstairs to get ready for bed and watch some of MY tv. I'm usually flipping through the channels unless a series I watch is on. Otherwise I'll watch old shows. Right now there is really nothing on, so I've become obsessed with house shows again. <br />
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<b>10 pm</b><br />
I threaten to lock my husband out if he doesn't come upstairs. I hand over the remote and let him find something to watch because I'll soon fall asleep while he is up longer watching television. I never had a tv in the room I slept until I got to college and now I couldn't live without it.<br />
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<b>10:30 pm</b><br />
I'm shutting the lights off and asking for the volume to be turned down to I can get some sleep. Dreading doing it all again the next day.<br />
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Thanks for taking a second to peek into my daily life. <br />
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-85784361309907181862013-07-12T15:19:00.003-07:002013-07-12T15:19:31.959-07:00What's in my.... (Take 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Melanie at <a href="http://mailboxjourney.com/" target="_blank">Mailbox Journey</a> has invited us all to a little link party to find out:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNtOyIogMX5VtMVZCNfjFjXdxUxuVTRFebRs_JYBB50R76xaGDfQ3tIKomxIy0AHI4sVh3hji9Lkcs9Oid_-y2kLWvXzVPkc8UApugnZAQlHM6i1CjMMBNEc3NJaVh2Ih7Twn1lC-YGY/s1600/header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNtOyIogMX5VtMVZCNfjFjXdxUxuVTRFebRs_JYBB50R76xaGDfQ3tIKomxIy0AHI4sVh3hji9Lkcs9Oid_-y2kLWvXzVPkc8UApugnZAQlHM6i1CjMMBNEc3NJaVh2Ih7Twn1lC-YGY/s640/header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I already shared some dirt on this topic a while back, <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2013/01/whats-in-my.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but I figured a total purse cleaning was needed again. It's been just over 6 months and let's just say I haven't made any progress on keeping it clean. And I may have discovered more weird items this go around (although no kitty). Let's make this a bit more simple:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzk1EjqjaovCAW86mGVTNlHuWOzTfInnygKbTaBu2VZXyNRHmNcRtNe8gqDHYZArfWHQrokuybgemUJzZzpzMrPiNg5aClU2hS4FJ7AiEmbVIFH0VO4gLNXKu5Hz31AsBQkrtOx4ZCdI/s1600/Doc1_Page_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzk1EjqjaovCAW86mGVTNlHuWOzTfInnygKbTaBu2VZXyNRHmNcRtNe8gqDHYZArfWHQrokuybgemUJzZzpzMrPiNg5aClU2hS4FJ7AiEmbVIFH0VO4gLNXKu5Hz31AsBQkrtOx4ZCdI/s640/Doc1_Page_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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1: My point and shoot digital camera. I never leave home without it, though I rarely use it anymore and instead choose to use my cell phone camera.<br />
2: My work cell phone. I hate iPhone by the way, but I didn't want to get a Droid and confuse it with my own phone.<br />
3: Makeup bag. We'll check that out a bit more below and see how I purged some items from it.<br />
4: Bath and Body works Lotion.<br />
5. Business Cards. With my old position so I threw these out.<br />
6. More lotion, uh WHY?! Got rid of this one.<br />
7. Gum. I had thrown this in there for a meeting so it's now just back in my desk at work.<br />
8. 3 flash drive. Apparently these are still getting transferred when I change purses even though I have been out of school 3 years now and don't need them. One has stuff for a big engineering test I'm studying for, so it stays. The others were put away.<br />
9: All camera disk, since I started using a digital camera. I never until I got my DSLR took pictures off of these because I was afraid to lose them all. I had to get an external harddrive for my pictures now since DLSR files are huge! I apparently couldn't think of a place I won't lose them (i have a tendency to put things somewhere I won't forget....but then I forget....). These are now in with all my DLSR camera stuff.<br />
10: Tum, Tum, Tum, Tum, TUMS! These were to bring to work, but apparently never got out of my purse. Now in my desk.<br />
11: 5 stray acetaminophen tablets. I was getting some killer headaches for a while and these were everywhere! Like I'd fold a pair of pants and they would fall out of the pockets. Guess these guys never got thrown out (or used). Had I known they were there....gah!<br />
12: Plastic key identifier. This has been hanging out in my purses for 5 years. Again I ask, WHY?! It's now identifying my trash.<br />
13: 3 bobby pins. Usually I keep one in my purse and the other 2 were thrown in there to use the other day but I never did.<br />
14: Wallet. We'll look at it some more below.<br />
15: My keys. "R" key chain, house key for my Aunt's, house key for my Brother's and our own house key then my car key and fob.<br />
16: Random catch all bag. We'll clean it out below.<br />
17: Entry/ID card for my building and office. Also bathroom key.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknw76zGxEo66C7xt8w4lTVwHYIQk_9vzYKZVw5KWXDKq9v95ilS5rXUtXweBMrKvlZMEYzekeFpg1BEzfSBbRF4DifxdnylYd5FyBUF2mG_Y4RoDOs5SwjFzqlYPMWX6ymkPf2EOxUBE/s1600/IMG_3798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknw76zGxEo66C7xt8w4lTVwHYIQk_9vzYKZVw5KWXDKq9v95ilS5rXUtXweBMrKvlZMEYzekeFpg1BEzfSBbRF4DifxdnylYd5FyBUF2mG_Y4RoDOs5SwjFzqlYPMWX6ymkPf2EOxUBE/s320/IMG_3798.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Honorable Mention </b>to the bag of mini sliders that I had just thrown in my purse to take to work for the next days lunch (as well as the Lowe's paint refunds and matches I just took out)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIGnMr-nhju5PLGZA41w0zwPC6uJ431FejTKNllGk5r3ioPnNhb_i5pMf43moA15ORsDAgQC1SG38B0j8_v0p5O0AQQFYuktWB6c1H9gfZ7uWjTpMWnDLuyAf2-gAL_Gm3wA9xyjhcQE/s1600/IMG_3802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIGnMr-nhju5PLGZA41w0zwPC6uJ431FejTKNllGk5r3ioPnNhb_i5pMf43moA15ORsDAgQC1SG38B0j8_v0p5O0AQQFYuktWB6c1H9gfZ7uWjTpMWnDLuyAf2-gAL_Gm3wA9xyjhcQE/s320/IMG_3802.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Makeup Bag</div>
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This baby is quite a mess. I was able to throw away the dried out deodorant, used with makeup tissues, 2 of 3 nail files, the old blush which was pretty much gone, a makeup brush I rarely used, a dried out mascara and a dried out foundation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRfLTJdmv4JiuxFSPOzk7RSKogkoNcOXl5iGRSfdcVOdIpcr5E-Y9B7FpMzePzro6C3QI0Kg-zK5kuCBC1jLCtdISKlwXuD8kuRR1kwfwbBeU0Gjj-JVssSmdkPCgpGnfzkGC3GDKGHQ/s1600/IMG_3803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRfLTJdmv4JiuxFSPOzk7RSKogkoNcOXl5iGRSfdcVOdIpcr5E-Y9B7FpMzePzro6C3QI0Kg-zK5kuCBC1jLCtdISKlwXuD8kuRR1kwfwbBeU0Gjj-JVssSmdkPCgpGnfzkGC3GDKGHQ/s320/IMG_3803.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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New and improved, smaller bag (in a more fun print too)</div>
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The new makeup bag fits inside the small one (smaller in all directions). I added a new mascara but didn't have another small deodorant. The new blush is much smaller and brand new (gotta love samples). The dried out foundation was pointless because I had a perfectly good foundation in there already as well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85p28-XVEg6R1jJJyjSi3iikpXI57kmazc7yweByVq9sGIJu_UdDtLYbCAKQhW_plW78SRTl5NE9ErzhmycCHp5QRofKHEaXem32OWNUMBslE_Dv0Cg__MqGWic2SJFYdeJBq3iT3rd8/s1600/IMG_3800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85p28-XVEg6R1jJJyjSi3iikpXI57kmazc7yweByVq9sGIJu_UdDtLYbCAKQhW_plW78SRTl5NE9ErzhmycCHp5QRofKHEaXem32OWNUMBslE_Dv0Cg__MqGWic2SJFYdeJBq3iT3rd8/s320/IMG_3800.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wall</div>
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I love this thing. I got it from a Leather Factory in Florence, Italy. I had WAAAYY to much stuff in there (like normal). I got rid of more old business cards, put away some 3+ months old receipts, shredded credit cards that were expired and not used, threw out my health insurance cards which are inactive since I switched to my husbands when we got married (yes 2 years ago), and organized my gift card collection. She closes just fine now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb07QH1YSjAG1dyK4Dk9QNMYVzJEQj7jJRhG_fJ1MpWTd9EeWDBHm1m55FlzjidQHXNJ_jex9-uVTXcJS9MoOLoYBg0Z97ZB2foxLrytXzqhXVtj7mpibK3Vz5Aolm6qPfiQ03slialw/s1600/IMG_3801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRb07QH1YSjAG1dyK4Dk9QNMYVzJEQj7jJRhG_fJ1MpWTd9EeWDBHm1m55FlzjidQHXNJ_jex9-uVTXcJS9MoOLoYBg0Z97ZB2foxLrytXzqhXVtj7mpibK3Vz5Aolm6qPfiQ03slialw/s320/IMG_3801.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Catch All Bag</div>
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Mostly this holds my little coupon folder, the key cards, check book and a pen. I recently stashed a bunch of stray coupons in there so they got organized in the mini folder. I also threw out all expired coupons (which I often forget to do). I went threw my key cards and got rid of a bunch then put them in order by most used. I can never find Giant Eagle but I use it weekly. I got rid of a library card from the district I use to live in, the hair cut place card (because I rarely get a hair cut or do it myself), and the tanning salon card (which I got for free for a week before my wedding).</div>
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After this clean sweep I threw everything into the new purse and took it to where I keep my things for the morning and realized it was practically just as heavy, sigh. Guess I didn't remove anything big (and I did have those buns in there...).</div>
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<b>Any ideas on what I should remove to make it lighter? What don't you think I need?</b></div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-78872153312654203212013-07-09T08:15:00.002-07:002013-07-09T08:15:39.913-07:002 years<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Happy 2 Year Anniversary to my husband! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqxIYHhoTLqy4iG2OAxLgWG7KnKTt5Fimj07pR9LzFBGJWJcHfKQja3uWS4L1g3A2tv72e5YXDPYCh63TLdSrxDKqTZJv_8S8EOyt7jTCYpx2eCFFu605KbnPffnqJO98rzGB37N_0K8/s1600/one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" nya="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqxIYHhoTLqy4iG2OAxLgWG7KnKTt5Fimj07pR9LzFBGJWJcHfKQja3uWS4L1g3A2tv72e5YXDPYCh63TLdSrxDKqTZJv_8S8EOyt7jTCYpx2eCFFu605KbnPffnqJO98rzGB37N_0K8/s1600/one.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Although he drives me crazy at times, I still love him.<br />
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He's taking me out to dinner tonight and given me my exact request for a "gift" each year so I'd say he's a keeper. Since I didn't blog when I got married let's look at a few other flashbacks, because who doesn't love wedding photography?!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nI0mSyx_SjLBOrmPsdGc7XdCYLljw7QToDJ8BXQ3RsVm9b2RSep44wQUoLhqMTdXpIsi-y_xHvogSPN1AhQndHy51U3IvChEXWAqfUM1O8w4mqv_vTLr_llnEnJKOH0VmE5fFPe2dBg/s1600/four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nI0mSyx_SjLBOrmPsdGc7XdCYLljw7QToDJ8BXQ3RsVm9b2RSep44wQUoLhqMTdXpIsi-y_xHvogSPN1AhQndHy51U3IvChEXWAqfUM1O8w4mqv_vTLr_llnEnJKOH0VmE5fFPe2dBg/s320/four.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Apparently I love black and white photography</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWie2KYuu4UZJT-354iTrC0_s_1UylLQElKbE8feLu8vwWCvLvcoXMfVr0I7vQeLfSWrfTbf14HAYyJkXdm12qgrMYLf1AfLnDcCC2ub3hnhLgBAm81V0HgfvTsTfOdOlLGrakpUGXJYw/s1600/five.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWie2KYuu4UZJT-354iTrC0_s_1UylLQElKbE8feLu8vwWCvLvcoXMfVr0I7vQeLfSWrfTbf14HAYyJkXdm12qgrMYLf1AfLnDcCC2ub3hnhLgBAm81V0HgfvTsTfOdOlLGrakpUGXJYw/s320/five.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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We celebrated in a "castle" (aka fancy country club)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju01OCUgvmGxWjPOKFzLvW6q3_gqGi1WzKRUUI3PvF1T5tpW1zEfCRMnTNYdtS4PSKEzGSyP5OXomgTzv175f9Rq1n2100mlKfQtSyZjBhFeOd8mdgfWw8eG8ruNojAvsfugF2U8BrGEc/s1600/two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju01OCUgvmGxWjPOKFzLvW6q3_gqGi1WzKRUUI3PvF1T5tpW1zEfCRMnTNYdtS4PSKEzGSyP5OXomgTzv175f9Rq1n2100mlKfQtSyZjBhFeOd8mdgfWw8eG8ruNojAvsfugF2U8BrGEc/s320/two.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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He let me do this at the reception and kindly followed my rule that if he did it to me I'd slap him, in front of our families.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzSZtMWFph6jPS3kBtJHk4HU9E3jX6422H_4iaxObJQrO6860ABXC2zN3aEnrK4QJa7uKJeqVWwRAOQVIwOcye0bllj0DBafDjn7uDmGMTND5fSoTvFRIV7e9jaz4mj5jGWwHdSpE3Q/s1600/three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzSZtMWFph6jPS3kBtJHk4HU9E3jX6422H_4iaxObJQrO6860ABXC2zN3aEnrK4QJa7uKJeqVWwRAOQVIwOcye0bllj0DBafDjn7uDmGMTND5fSoTvFRIV7e9jaz4mj5jGWwHdSpE3Q/s320/three.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't wait for what our future holds!</div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-32780548312491334112013-05-06T04:38:00.001-07:002013-05-06T04:38:10.671-07:00Saying Goodbye2 months ago we said goodbye to our home of two years. The house we first lived together in. The place that we fixed up ourselves. Put a lot of time, money and energy in to. The home we created and styled and made ours. The spot that became a gathering for all our friends. We have lots of good memories there.<br />
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I spent our last day of home ownership working at home (not because I'm that sentimental but for other reasons) sitting on the hardwood floor on a single sofa cushion. With no Internet at our temporary apartment yet this is where I camped out. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQrAYdwJ5L_n-q14cHFAMZYG5TAnMTUUBLmTCobTVHU3m6PZtA1JZWsvgdL7uQ1Vg_LkC4XZavYl1E31VPPw8iSAxknssEzxnKKvK82CqlbkvDG93V7c2f-nt4g26av9QdETR5dLw1bY/s1600/IMG_2749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQrAYdwJ5L_n-q14cHFAMZYG5TAnMTUUBLmTCobTVHU3m6PZtA1JZWsvgdL7uQ1Vg_LkC4XZavYl1E31VPPw8iSAxknssEzxnKKvK82CqlbkvDG93V7c2f-nt4g26av9QdETR5dLw1bY/s1600/IMG_2749.JPG" height="213" mwa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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That evening we cleaned and said our goodbyes. I took pictures of an empty house (save for the items the buyer bought from us). My husband told me I was crazy. Although these are an after from what I originally showed in <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2013/01/our-little-baby-named-foreclosure.html" target="_blank">this post </a></span><span style="color: black;">they aren't what I still want to show you. I'm amazed at some of the things we managed to accomplish together and not kill each other.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Besides before and after's from the old house, I hope to get back to blogging soon once we get "organized" in the new house. Who wants some styling posts?</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Non the less, these are some really good "after" shots of how we transformed our foreclosure into our home. </span><br />
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<strong>FIRST FLOOR</strong></div>
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Living space (aka Family Room): ripped up carpet and laid hardwood, new higher baseboard, painted walls, built shelves, installed light/fan unit, hung curtains at back slider</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-zdCOvQhwbSoGpmCvyKZ4uk5uOQPeWxPNXvos4WM8XYwgDBaV_l2vnbhz6VjSNf8gyznNdzLZazvW3up1BPTxhSpxkywkANuNpXskkD1J7KNSYtZQpwaVN5QKnuzCBKUnr8xImcnIpI/s1600/IMG_2734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-zdCOvQhwbSoGpmCvyKZ4uk5uOQPeWxPNXvos4WM8XYwgDBaV_l2vnbhz6VjSNf8gyznNdzLZazvW3up1BPTxhSpxkywkANuNpXskkD1J7KNSYtZQpwaVN5QKnuzCBKUnr8xImcnIpI/s1600/IMG_2734.JPG" height="213" mwa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kitchen: removed vinyl flooring and replaced with tile, new higher baseboard (to replace the grey plastic stuff), painted walls, installed light fixture, repaired ceiling (OK, we paid someone to do that)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrJYTXEmvdXUPKITt-4n5pHSKcU1HiIMUVdSqw9dNeT5AokbB48OGrsxNnGDXmdZTFgEbRpCU38YgEtGyPnpHw2lSdgGGiW12_8nmTy8nPqgN8yS1HOvZSX93ppZa8Ss8YPdPxzkj55M/s1600/IMG_2735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrJYTXEmvdXUPKITt-4n5pHSKcU1HiIMUVdSqw9dNeT5AokbB48OGrsxNnGDXmdZTFgEbRpCU38YgEtGyPnpHw2lSdgGGiW12_8nmTy8nPqgN8yS1HOvZSX93ppZa8Ss8YPdPxzkj55M/s1600/IMG_2735.JPG" height="213" mwa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kitchen: replaced all appliances, new hardware, granite counter, installed backsplash, painted our orange accent wall here into Family Room</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_X12NKYMkPH2zdgHRteo8RJNREZggxHe3_WvkE8BaRBLe_2d_hsXUW3m418J-xMoPEV1t1bkPOVzDKT1cQ0fsSwxqraiEl0MLIVEeuhGrG-Dp3u12_g8Lc1hUqkhJCiku0FBikKiEdc/s1600/IMG_2740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_X12NKYMkPH2zdgHRteo8RJNREZggxHe3_WvkE8BaRBLe_2d_hsXUW3m418J-xMoPEV1t1bkPOVzDKT1cQ0fsSwxqraiEl0MLIVEeuhGrG-Dp3u12_g8Lc1hUqkhJCiku0FBikKiEdc/s1600/IMG_2740.JPG" height="213" mwa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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Half Bath: removed vinyl flooring and replaced with tile, new higher baseboard, painted walls, removed builder grade cabinet for stand alone sink unit, new mirror and light fixture, hung art. This was probably our most "complete" room thanks to being so small!</div>
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<strong>UPSTAIRS</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGKNOfl7dVITBT848YjsYU7q8SiN_WyPQzH-1FIhUQnsu2sR3b7bZBRUJw0Bs116Rv7coTOxedPIEcYMVPQ7Outruov816W_g0pZTUNVyvGruRFy5fJ8RWxoAsK7Qo8DAIXEONOyT9cU/s1600/IMG_2742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGKNOfl7dVITBT848YjsYU7q8SiN_WyPQzH-1FIhUQnsu2sR3b7bZBRUJw0Bs116Rv7coTOxedPIEcYMVPQ7Outruov816W_g0pZTUNVyvGruRFy5fJ8RWxoAsK7Qo8DAIXEONOyT9cU/s1600/IMG_2742.JPG" height="213" mwa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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Master Bedroom: removed ugly teal carpet and installed lush beige carpet, reinstalled baseboard, painted walls and all trim, repaired ceiling (paid someone), installed light/fax unit, hung curtains at window, painted door (minus sliding closet doors)</div>
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Missing this place already...</div>
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Upstairs Bath: removed vinyl flooring and replaced with tile, added real baseboard (not the grey plastic crap), painted walls, installed new leak free toilet, built towel rack (see part of it in the mirror)</div>
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Upstairs Bath: removed builder grade single sink unit for fancy double sinks (do NOT miss the black granite shows every water spot and dust particle counter top), installed mirrors and light fixtures after removing the large single mirror, new shower head and shower curtain bar</div>
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Guest Bedroom: removed teal carpet for beige carpet, re-installed baseboard, painted all the trim and walls, installed light/fan unit, hung curtains and blinds</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb6hMU0tklNdaJbSFI9a3ZLN3BlZ0HjSl619y9NmfwQdybJlBeu2LonWP2fBdwy6y679TT7f6W1_NV90mMqLaioApZBJu78T4QvCtGNCAPk0o-N6eQvNSU6yQYFQfP7h-4k98R1Xfm_o/s1600/IMG_2747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb6hMU0tklNdaJbSFI9a3ZLN3BlZ0HjSl619y9NmfwQdybJlBeu2LonWP2fBdwy6y679TT7f6W1_NV90mMqLaioApZBJu78T4QvCtGNCAPk0o-N6eQvNSU6yQYFQfP7h-4k98R1Xfm_o/s1600/IMG_2747.JPG" height="213" mwa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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Note: Walls were NOT this yellow. They are same as the hallways and living area</div>
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<strong>BASEMENT</strong> (nothin' fancy)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPnk-QR34sUnej5wEEAEjNAftIJYlwjRZC2mJ1qAaVgvIecVgyH31a8ntstaExVKJuEzxLZo4_KSL3UFTe906wHtB9MVsdSUpvYjDy4JZXSmbjWp6DyI3BS3bueNTx1hy-yvhvhovoIQ/s1600/IMG_2736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPnk-QR34sUnej5wEEAEjNAftIJYlwjRZC2mJ1qAaVgvIecVgyH31a8ntstaExVKJuEzxLZo4_KSL3UFTe906wHtB9MVsdSUpvYjDy4JZXSmbjWp6DyI3BS3bueNTx1hy-yvhvhovoIQ/s1600/IMG_2736.JPG" height="213" mwa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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This would have been the biggest change had we got to it. It was in the plans but when we listed we knew it wouldn't help a lot with re-sale (based on the time/effort that needed to go in to it), so it was nixed unless we didn't sell and stayed here</div>
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I DON'T miss basement laundry. Down here all we did was fix the pull string light fixtures</div>
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Basement Full Bath: patched the walls (think previous owner kept a pet in here) and painted the walls. Super nice to have this down here when we were re-doing the upstairs bath.</div>
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So that's it. Nothing amazing to see as it is still an unfurnished yet much more finished canvas. Can't wait to share the before and after renovations. <br />
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Let's suffice it to say this place definitely brings back some good memories (and some not so pleasant ones). You will be missed my first place!<br />
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<strong>What types of renovations did you do in your first place (could be house or apartment)? Did you do them for future re-sale or just because. </strong>We definitely have a mix of the two.<br />
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Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-27411679250975501202013-04-25T16:12:00.002-07:002013-04-25T16:12:36.654-07:00Mickey Mouse CupcakesLet me just start by saying I was PUMPED to show off the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cake I was making for my friend's son's First Birthday. I was so rushed to finish it on the day of (little new oven mishap the night before with cooking) that I forgot to take pictures. Of course then it was crazy at the party and I never did there either. Complete bummer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M0WNPHpizbGLQK5bSJP10RlYdI28T4byPcdYzm-uZvEXEX_2AD7d9waqLN0H9ub6xRS60WjfW5zKc2HK4dwNyL24Fy2PXkLVUsvKK4YaQHzrB5l2q-ZC7RXnEf0s_Cqbp_z_0G1AADY/s1600/2013-02-15_20-10-00_282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M0WNPHpizbGLQK5bSJP10RlYdI28T4byPcdYzm-uZvEXEX_2AD7d9waqLN0H9ub6xRS60WjfW5zKc2HK4dwNyL24Fy2PXkLVUsvKK4YaQHzrB5l2q-ZC7RXnEf0s_Cqbp_z_0G1AADY/s1600/2013-02-15_20-10-00_282.jpg" height="320" lwa="true" width="180" /></a></div>
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Apparently the apartment oven was WAAAY off on its heat because this was 10 minutes under recommended baking time.</div>
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So instead I'll present you with my Mickey Mouse cupcakes. If you want to check out ideas on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake, please feel free to browse my <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccafw/cakes-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Cakes/Cupcakes</a> Pinterest board. The cake is similar to the one shown in there, except I used plastic characters I purchases on Amazon to add some more 3D elements to the cake. I loved the free standing cookie clubhouse idea too. The cake was a basic chocolate filled with a buttercream frosting mixed with oreo. YUM!<br />
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I also got to make a simple smash cake for the birthday boy to enjoy. For the smash cake I removed some batter from what I made for the cupcakes and baked a little cake using a Pyrex dish. That way I didn't have to bake a full 8" round then cut it down. The extra I would have ate, and my waist doesn't need that. This size was perfect to get him, good and messy. A yellow cake also allowed for a lot of colored icing to smear all over his face.<br />
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I think he liked it!</div>
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On to the cupcakes...<br />
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As soon as I saw this cupcake ideas I was sold. Hook, Line, and Sinker I tell ya. I knew they would be simple but perfect for the theme. I was even excited to get to use my new food processor to make them. I loved how these turned out and all the kids at the party got excited about them. Apparently they were much cooler than the cake that took me forever. Ya win some ya lose some.<br />
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I just used a yellow cake box mix (Pillsbury probably) and then my go-to Wilton Buttercream icing. I tinted the icing a little brown so the white wouldn't stand out too much behind the oreo crumbs. Then I smashed up some oreos. It only took about 2 out of 3 rows of the oreo. My husband was quite pleased with that since I yelled at him every time he looked at the oreos leading up to this. It's important to ice the cupcake (no particular style since it got squished anyways) then immediately dip in the oreos. Otherwise the icing will dry out some and be less sticky.<br />
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I added ears using mini oreos. Just one bag was enough for all 48 ears. Make sure you try to pull out the good ones. If it's only half, eat. If it's a little broken, shove that part in the cupcake.<br />
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I'm thinking this year I need a Micky Party</div>
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I used a hole punch to get 48+ little dots then glued them on the cupcake liner AFTER they were baked but before icing/etc. Just a little dot will do ya!</div>
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<strike>If </strike>When I do it again, I'd add a bit more icing. Some Mickey's were looking a little flat headed, no good.</div>
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<strong>Are you hungy? What have you been baking or cooking?</strong></div>
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-24040707884835529142013-04-23T15:35:00.001-07:002013-04-23T15:35:08.931-07:00Ikea is the BESTAI happily lived within 30 minutes of Ikea for 18 years of my life and never purchased a thing. Then I moved away to college and live 1.5 hours from Ikea or 3 hours from another and want items all the time.<br />
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Thankfully a recent visit to my parents (who live 15 minutes from the 3 hour Ikea) proved to be a successful trip, both in family time and purchases. We went with the intent of getting a media unit for under our newly mounted TV. Although spending a little more than originally planned on we know it was a good price and definitely cheaper than anything we'd looked at elsewhere.<br />
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After searching through the store, we decided on purchasing piece from the BESTA system. <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80134053/#/50102143" target="_blank">This one</a> to be exact. We then added three drawers at the bottom and cabinets on the two sides opting to leave the middle as open shelving. We added a glass topper to give it a finished look. We chose to forgo hardware since the drawers can be easily pulled out from the bottom (and won't get major use anyways since they are more storage) and added the little door pop (totally technically term) on the cabinets. You just push where the piece is installed and it pops open enough for you to grab it. We grabbed some legs to give the unit a little more height because boy this thing is short.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73hp70-DJs2XeZDnbGqVJJepqLAdb64JIqTgRfSni1WSvzayi2kl2EIm6b0SK9bAL_V7nkYoyiiDm6B0NeVjBNj8LQqih4_A-A9VX7mELm50vbkLGcq0ci92HA46YBcMixpdzTML7boo/s1600/IMG_3234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73hp70-DJs2XeZDnbGqVJJepqLAdb64JIqTgRfSni1WSvzayi2kl2EIm6b0SK9bAL_V7nkYoyiiDm6B0NeVjBNj8LQqih4_A-A9VX7mELm50vbkLGcq0ci92HA46YBcMixpdzTML7boo/s1600/IMG_3234.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Boxes, boxes, boxes...</div>
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After walking away we realized that the unit we grabbed may not be as wide as our TV (which would look off), so we had to re-think the plan and almost decided to just leave and not pick up the pieces downstairs we had written out. Yes, two engineers went to shop for furniture and didn't measure first. But after look around the store and saying, "Yep our TV is that big or larger" we decided to add another unit (the "half" size) and go grab our purchases. I think the most time spend was wandering around the warehouse looking for exactly what we needed. With 4 color options and NUMEROUS ways to style and accessorize these, there were two rows of items, not even semi chronologically organized. I think I found one piece while my husband searched out the rest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iUgr4Dqs9DS2925tp8SFgK0mWT4JxuUImIG6xOdpmWdrAjd74ngR1wGRbA-6CKcnEDWfulffiqO7184dYXTSYQVR7XER6SKEYccfQAogIqjnPRoK8vcuYBu63zcFK81a8fm1H2zB0qo/s1600/IMG_3239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iUgr4Dqs9DS2925tp8SFgK0mWT4JxuUImIG6xOdpmWdrAjd74ngR1wGRbA-6CKcnEDWfulffiqO7184dYXTSYQVR7XER6SKEYccfQAogIqjnPRoK8vcuYBu63zcFK81a8fm1H2zB0qo/s1600/IMG_3239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mid Mess</div>
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Oh and if you're curious, we went with the black-brown color. Definitely more black than brown. But it was perfect for our family room.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJk4nlqGTah35A_qsuzgsAAfZ2spdvHsArfaDKK1BPsu-CMLDGVycYjdoSyKQikhyphenhyphenovFMTiy13_ttQPuGRj-PvkVDvMUrYq2OeDcn_MiRr_fv5vmfZ04PyfgXt5_KgaxkdZ02fJiGiOdI/s1600/IMG_3242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJk4nlqGTah35A_qsuzgsAAfZ2spdvHsArfaDKK1BPsu-CMLDGVycYjdoSyKQikhyphenhyphenovFMTiy13_ttQPuGRj-PvkVDvMUrYq2OeDcn_MiRr_fv5vmfZ04PyfgXt5_KgaxkdZ02fJiGiOdI/s1600/IMG_3242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It looks oddly brown here but the darker pictures are much more true to the color</div>
Although it looked short in the store, we are pleased with the final height too. It was taller than the media unit the TV sat on before but about a foot below the bottom of the TV on the mount.<br />
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Do you always have left over pieces from Ikea? Should I be concerned that this thing is going to fall apart?!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbVuJfyl2-FTcwY6FvADQkEbPyaHBdhbORAdPQVLYljiupuFnheqE-Pq9yiSdMFkYJi3tg-c4jhlADJ3kHCWytkTgOENwyCHaE67pa5hdeavP9yEjWXut6VCqZxt7EBeK3NCnaRMldMc/s1600/IMG_3236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbVuJfyl2-FTcwY6FvADQkEbPyaHBdhbORAdPQVLYljiupuFnheqE-Pq9yiSdMFkYJi3tg-c4jhlADJ3kHCWytkTgOENwyCHaE67pa5hdeavP9yEjWXut6VCqZxt7EBeK3NCnaRMldMc/s1600/IMG_3236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I mentioned previously, the drawers are mostly storage. Boxes for electronics, DVDs, VHS tapes (yes I still have some and a 10" TV I can watch them on), Wii Games, controllers, etc. I just realized the 3rd drawer, currently empty will be perfect for our laptops. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiuKIQ1EVCsANPY_lpVoApnT7AaZgzoaZY6xDFA7M8a7VoQxBYNt6ncQUlLcETpBpBCRTQP1FSkct59q910O3pNWDhkF9ZELtChdD_U1a-c0_thFTlht7v-g5uM0FFtK4yk9Xf8-_FuA/s1600/IMG_3238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiuKIQ1EVCsANPY_lpVoApnT7AaZgzoaZY6xDFA7M8a7VoQxBYNt6ncQUlLcETpBpBCRTQP1FSkct59q910O3pNWDhkF9ZELtChdD_U1a-c0_thFTlht7v-g5uM0FFtK4yk9Xf8-_FuA/s1600/IMG_3238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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No idea what else is going in the cabinets right now. We decided to put the cable box on the right because it is the most centered in the Family Room. I suck at technology and get easily frustrated when something doesn't work so it needed to easily get the signal. Also, I don't want to be even 30 seconds late in turning the TV on for my favorite shows! We've also got the Wii box and docking station stored in there. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jMoRjSFaMRExyPLs9OOjmP3C3TXmMGogZ-sTi1xfOw3ml12b0SpYYyHiVK6lTRet3iWPYbsMzBHN20ts5fMnaktwQVlt2nmoKv_mOsw9xA0J47iREr6vS6Obt7fxnr6HDdRKMgoth4M/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jMoRjSFaMRExyPLs9OOjmP3C3TXmMGogZ-sTi1xfOw3ml12b0SpYYyHiVK6lTRet3iWPYbsMzBHN20ts5fMnaktwQVlt2nmoKv_mOsw9xA0J47iREr6vS6Obt7fxnr6HDdRKMgoth4M/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't say that Ikea furniture is the easiest to put together, but for the price I can take a small inconvenience. We spent 2 hours the first night getting 80% of it together then did the finishing touches in another hour the next night. Of course we had to do a slight Ikea "hack" when they told us that putting two pieces together resulted in TWO legs at the spot they sit together which would of course look funny. It would have been 1 leg, 2 legs, 1 leg, 1 leg. Silly right? Turns out we didn't purchase enough legs for this option anyways. So while the back at the wall is funny (no one sees that), we used two sided foam tape strips (came with someone else in one of the boxes) to center the last leg we had between the two units. We're confident this is enough support since the back is doubled up and the units are screwed together anyways. So fingers crossed, please!<br />
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<strong>Have you made any Ikea purchases lately? Do you take trips planned around a visit to Ikea?</strong>Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-34228962890555961342013-03-29T06:40:00.000-07:002013-03-29T06:40:00.020-07:00Inspiration: Living Room Built-InsIn case you haven't seen my Instagram feed (rebecca_l_williams), I am in LOVE with the built-in shelves/cabinets in the living room of our new house. I think the kittens love them too, not cool kitties, you don't fit with my decorating style.<br />
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The first days of moving in I threw every item that I have used for decorating (even some seaonal items) into the living room. I thought to myself, "Wow, this is going to be a horrible mess of items when I finally organize." So I decided to go to my number one source of inspiration, <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>! I typed in "Build In Shelves" and got an out-pouring of ideas. I was well on my way to an orgaized set of shelves. Or at least my "For the Home" board was.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8pk-Lt3bEEYIUr4GbuWTm120anO1fvuVSyYc21HRAdgUOsIN_XxClJPGlE8vUwvuScORFbsmgqEpDhTUBveKCXm7yxE7gaGz4MRogfA-vRKVYy6M_nfZYsUNhwgNxkT41pWUpSfvpeM/s1600/IS-ojwg6jzjz0pp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8pk-Lt3bEEYIUr4GbuWTm120anO1fvuVSyYc21HRAdgUOsIN_XxClJPGlE8vUwvuScORFbsmgqEpDhTUBveKCXm7yxE7gaGz4MRogfA-vRKVYy6M_nfZYsUNhwgNxkT41pWUpSfvpeM/s1600/IS-ojwg6jzjz0pp.jpg" height="213" usa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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listing photo</div>
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Let's not wait any longer, and enjoy some eye candy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobZr6EAfp9guD9IZtBU0HsEa3rlyHsOPZ0uCwm3ct-CLJm-XAQqu83fNNIDSEkuyDi2PvghgrzB-1916y4YaLRDf0qPRbf1S6cjFoCJVZSORbNiQq95gMCWc2TtXIazvulQ0ZZbp8eyk/s1600/Organization+Shoe+storage+white+built+shelves+trJRk98wBxVl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobZr6EAfp9guD9IZtBU0HsEa3rlyHsOPZ0uCwm3ct-CLJm-XAQqu83fNNIDSEkuyDi2PvghgrzB-1916y4YaLRDf0qPRbf1S6cjFoCJVZSORbNiQq95gMCWc2TtXIazvulQ0ZZbp8eyk/s1600/Organization+Shoe+storage+white+built+shelves+trJRk98wBxVl.jpg" height="320" usa="true" width="261" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lonny.com/photos/Organization/trJRk98wBxV" target="_blank">source</a></div>
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Just kidding, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't at least CONSIDER filling those beautiful shelves with shoes. If only our walk-in closet had this type of space. Sigh....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zO54MODwPiakfN8jCqnC8JJaTua-aeLm48UAEW4Gtr1Jy7gFUr23XekZe85xe_Y7OEMLfzHIEAI5GZz_-ZOdturNFXoPJPXkwQ4tKTGAFTQJ_pSBuX4tZ0Bdl7dWQWX7DmCmVM329I4/s1600/built-in-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zO54MODwPiakfN8jCqnC8JJaTua-aeLm48UAEW4Gtr1Jy7gFUr23XekZe85xe_Y7OEMLfzHIEAI5GZz_-ZOdturNFXoPJPXkwQ4tKTGAFTQJ_pSBuX4tZ0Bdl7dWQWX7DmCmVM329I4/s1600/built-in-7.jpg" height="256" usa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.angieslist.com/photos/photos-built-storage-spaces.htm?CID=pin121212builtins" target="_blank">source</a></div>
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Of course my very first idea upon laying eye on these shelves in the house listing was BOOKS. Loads and loads of books. So many that I have to go to the store and buy more book, I'm gonna raid my parent's house and steal all their books. If nothing else sold me on this house (in reality there were many things) this was IT! No worries, books will be included, although they will be neatly styled with other items all around them. I'm also dying to take the sleves off a lot of books to make them look extra pretty.</div>
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<em>So now to some REAL inspiration:</em></div>
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<strong>Inspiration #1</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WDMIOSHJOlZSbuRW0pV7a0bhKsZ-7LUcQf1f0KrbvgSlKr_7zV1dX-iC0PDLS7XsUvNKx3JEcPyHZEWfTodcmKeQV2xchtJgWL9Uw-T6uk3RqIkhehbolFXf5Lb5vnTb7zYMqZbNf_g/s1600/image_8614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WDMIOSHJOlZSbuRW0pV7a0bhKsZ-7LUcQf1f0KrbvgSlKr_7zV1dX-iC0PDLS7XsUvNKx3JEcPyHZEWfTodcmKeQV2xchtJgWL9Uw-T6uk3RqIkhehbolFXf5Lb5vnTb7zYMqZbNf_g/s1600/image_8614.jpg" height="320" usa="true" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://designtricks.net/?p=562" target="_blank">source</a></div>
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I am loving the idea of an open area in the shelves for a large piece of artwork. This idea blew my mind! How did I never consider it? I already grabbed a piece of art we had and rearranged some shelves in our Built-Ins. Inspiration #1: done.</div>
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<strong>Inspiration #2:</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhakaMZMtwCVmZVx0LoQfacuofPavB0qlHmT1TagsTAXH-qPaFha4FCJqKbE50Gm0GUr9Ev0VaRm96GfQB67oBonMVdHTYnvcsYBrF2JTRywX9YZ-Q8odh24NXFSVeiPKfNDEsojUcWE/s1600/2e3ad1ab03b7c83796367cc4ddbd82d0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhakaMZMtwCVmZVx0LoQfacuofPavB0qlHmT1TagsTAXH-qPaFha4FCJqKbE50Gm0GUr9Ev0VaRm96GfQB67oBonMVdHTYnvcsYBrF2JTRywX9YZ-Q8odh24NXFSVeiPKfNDEsojUcWE/s1600/2e3ad1ab03b7c83796367cc4ddbd82d0.jpg" height="320" usa="true" width="213" /></a></div>
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no source :(<br />
I really like this split of colors. Unfortunately I won't be cool with the fact that my books wouldn't be grouped by author anymore. Maybe authors should do their books all in one color, that could help. I'm also pretty sure I don't have enough variety in my book colors. But this is beautiful.<br />
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<strong>Inspiration #3</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDCLT_GrhQaE9ZUDwVMRuF5j8GyUqObb5oZ0pOi390sz1CDPfP5JUoc2AK1utCPpFnPmvpcQeziIIrEABBbxw-12nhf2gCIRAuT-4OT-B-k9P-CDeMFRAeRZBAV2Ogdbp4agztdFXryU/s1600/b8692c410d41ebfb0f8f3b8162f5ec0c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDCLT_GrhQaE9ZUDwVMRuF5j8GyUqObb5oZ0pOi390sz1CDPfP5JUoc2AK1utCPpFnPmvpcQeziIIrEABBbxw-12nhf2gCIRAuT-4OT-B-k9P-CDeMFRAeRZBAV2Ogdbp4agztdFXryU/s1600/b8692c410d41ebfb0f8f3b8162f5ec0c.jpg" height="213" usa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://ourhumbleabodeblog.com/2013/03/26/on-a-safari/" target="_blank">source</a><br />
I really want to get some of these magazine holders that <a href="http://ourhumbleabodeblog.com/" target="_blank">Amanda</a> used in her guest room shelving update. I'd love to make my husband's extensive Sports Illustrated collection a little more organized. I'm thinking a bold color though, or maybe black for our shelves because the white blends too much, maybe that's a good thing... We'll have to see how all my inspiration plays out.</div>
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<strong>Inspiration #4</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLM1N3imLdtB725yPs7rYb31ItIGfBmXgC0m_laN6aAvPPeGUC7lo5z2mlGz_zbyPX0Wbw4969vLg7lSMUlj7xtKbaydCDP0sSxGC-92x3fraA3N-Cs_D_Ub5kyOitJNCzb6CD4LzUNV0/s1600/ba79e5bdb36d0a87fe7dfbb5a8c3e3ea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLM1N3imLdtB725yPs7rYb31ItIGfBmXgC0m_laN6aAvPPeGUC7lo5z2mlGz_zbyPX0Wbw4969vLg7lSMUlj7xtKbaydCDP0sSxGC-92x3fraA3N-Cs_D_Ub5kyOitJNCzb6CD4LzUNV0/s1600/ba79e5bdb36d0a87fe7dfbb5a8c3e3ea.jpg" height="320" usa="true" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.southshoredecoratingblog.com/" target="_blank">source</a><br />
I can't pinpoint the exact feeling of these cabinet door, but they rock. Modern, artsy, unique? I'm thinking making the two sets of shelves on the sides of our built-ins have glass doors. We don't have fancy china or serveware, but I think a closed place for various serveware, candle sticks not in use, and other "fancy" itesm would be nice. And this criss-cross pattern is fantastic.</div>
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<strong>Inspiration #5</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XUyUqkqvGFJMo4bMdNZ6Krt9GsUoOAs96zVE3opucgrsqst5PzD6MfUQuwRFjTcSEAmwDkZh8YgO6Dye3BJROJl06HIEXuN5OQTWH_hxG8bDKb9bZpthYBupr5TyPHyXB6cHK6nhOlE/s1600/1fc79c8ce450e9d8fe667eb81c9f946d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XUyUqkqvGFJMo4bMdNZ6Krt9GsUoOAs96zVE3opucgrsqst5PzD6MfUQuwRFjTcSEAmwDkZh8YgO6Dye3BJROJl06HIEXuN5OQTWH_hxG8bDKb9bZpthYBupr5TyPHyXB6cHK6nhOlE/s1600/1fc79c8ce450e9d8fe667eb81c9f946d.jpg" height="320" usa="true" width="256" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com/2009/08/peek-of-coral.html" target="_blank">source</a><br />
Not just color BEHIND the shelves but ON the shelves themselve. Why haven't we seen this everywhere yet? I'm loving how the color on the back and shelves makes the cabinet structure itself pop more. </div>
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<strong>Inspiration #6</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-j187u6nzWswPOVf-k8P5uc0mxGDCpJsz-okimm_kQ4xOU6mSTTqCEbw1G1pbF9WTnVfWH9gQYfCv4HBKzkWWedBKMd1SOKbGo7x5AsP4XoS52U4iz8UkTb0WMv2uQt3cAw3LWaBIyZc/s1600/31626272_cNwig4zr_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-j187u6nzWswPOVf-k8P5uc0mxGDCpJsz-okimm_kQ4xOU6mSTTqCEbw1G1pbF9WTnVfWH9gQYfCv4HBKzkWWedBKMd1SOKbGo7x5AsP4XoS52U4iz8UkTb0WMv2uQt3cAw3LWaBIyZc/s1600/31626272_cNwig4zr_c.jpg" height="320" usa="true" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.caitlincreer.com/2011/06/nooks-and-crannies.html" target="_blank">source</a><br />
Nothing new here, just some color at the back of the shelves. When we first looked at the house I told my husband the one color that must change is the red/maroon in the living room. Then we went to Levin Furniture to find a couch and chairs for the room. When I saw the grey couch it was love at first sight and I knew the red would stay. We picked out a great patterned chair that is creme with grey and mustard yellow. I love a good red and mustard yellow. This is about the back of the shelves right? Well my idea is to now pick out a moody grey for the built-ins or a pop of mustard yellow (see I brought it back on topic). The husband is FAR from being sold on this idea, so we'll see. Maybe something more neutral would win him over?</div>
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<strong>Inspiration #7</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesOhtieZhBndfTTfWDsO4m0DwCKCyEqCsgOKCX_XhzGTzgI4jRp-es_UODUGy89JqXByL7gUuZJ86x3W1Jy3RN1K3vobLcV6V0gi-D-X4Eyx5w8h5g_bqO6xZbh0SQ5oS_sVJCCW-LA0/s1600/decor-store-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesOhtieZhBndfTTfWDsO4m0DwCKCyEqCsgOKCX_XhzGTzgI4jRp-es_UODUGy89JqXByL7gUuZJ86x3W1Jy3RN1K3vobLcV6V0gi-D-X4Eyx5w8h5g_bqO6xZbh0SQ5oS_sVJCCW-LA0/s1600/decor-store-after.jpg" height="320" usa="true" width="225" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/04/you-down-with-o-r-g-yeah-you-know-me/" target="_blank">source</a></div>
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We've all seen <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/" target="_blank">John and Sherry's</a> built-ins with the teal backs, but that's not what this inspiration focuses on. I remembered their post on how they organized decorating "things" like exsesive amount of candles so I jumped right in. Since we have a little bit of closet cabinet space and 2 drawers with the built-ins (bottom L/R), I wanted to store decorating stuff there, otherwise it was to the basement. Decor that can be used everyday, like candle sticks, candles, and frames are going in our cabinets. Seasonal items are still banned to the basement where we have the storage space. </div>
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Now if they just styled themselves we'd be golden....</div>
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<strong>Is that enough ideas? Do you want to go build some Built-Ins now or just some awesome shelving in general?</strong></div>
Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-37077135896128636942013-03-12T15:11:00.003-07:002013-03-12T15:11:57.243-07:00Looking AheadI may be leaving this blog hanging and only posting where necessary (ie: the <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-first-pinterest-challenge-letter.html" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> challenge), but I had to stop in with an update.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQQo5HKfl2A_Qrn3-gRRbk87vyBaUmy2940yqrSFehF-vAJypxEHmaQZX-w0nzd0TlGd5DUf5sBodfUVIty6zrvdQDnVb0j5mKM6JwaEPC7WP4mkHqXOR3u4l691Ty9Ltx49bFiD6aP4/s1600/IMG_2857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQQo5HKfl2A_Qrn3-gRRbk87vyBaUmy2940yqrSFehF-vAJypxEHmaQZX-w0nzd0TlGd5DUf5sBodfUVIty6zrvdQDnVb0j5mKM6JwaEPC7WP4mkHqXOR3u4l691Ty9Ltx49bFiD6aP4/s400/IMG_2857.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This baby will soon be ours!!!!</div>
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We just heard that the title agency will be calling us soon and that papers will be signed by Friday so we can get the keys. SUPER EXCITED!!!!</div>
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Want a few more sneak peaks??</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnfiyYQo62fVI6wv03x5Bso1x3_QJkdCdVjOXVeOsGfp_m03KmY7OB2ddz_zpVSJbyu3SLL2I_aiUtjimw1AvjFmOxyghkIMw8LQhE8slIs1RbLYsMxA_s9xbivGG1vRtLPDr-UJuyJQ/s1600/IMG_2844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnfiyYQo62fVI6wv03x5Bso1x3_QJkdCdVjOXVeOsGfp_m03KmY7OB2ddz_zpVSJbyu3SLL2I_aiUtjimw1AvjFmOxyghkIMw8LQhE8slIs1RbLYsMxA_s9xbivGG1vRtLPDr-UJuyJQ/s320/IMG_2844.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Gorgeous built-ins. I need to buy more books!!! (Yes there are french doors)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO8fROQ08Z9oV6hDHTpLhBpbHhJ4RsQb9xRHvdQyzluQzsLvgGqAmYcmZwsfk6gz9vEHXnDTZkDwbbLdvOPfrrgDx3XVWnFYl7n_LTW3v_oqW0RJVxfvzqwVxRfY1d626o5H3scTvweQ/s1600/IMG_2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO8fROQ08Z9oV6hDHTpLhBpbHhJ4RsQb9xRHvdQyzluQzsLvgGqAmYcmZwsfk6gz9vEHXnDTZkDwbbLdvOPfrrgDx3XVWnFYl7n_LTW3v_oqW0RJVxfvzqwVxRfY1d626o5H3scTvweQ/s320/IMG_2834.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spacious basement!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6liTNYprzkfS23NDnwvIkZ8O6zOuuC7XBD8p3XaoPRs2unc3UobLkNT1V5lzQ1YvQbPgVT7f-q-Qas9Lh0rVDY6KzO5aX2PEfMGplEP2egHs-es4x0f047_7iGlbUle_N4QSm7HOC4c/s1600/IMG_2846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6liTNYprzkfS23NDnwvIkZ8O6zOuuC7XBD8p3XaoPRs2unc3UobLkNT1V5lzQ1YvQbPgVT7f-q-Qas9Lh0rVDY6KzO5aX2PEfMGplEP2egHs-es4x0f047_7iGlbUle_N4QSm7HOC4c/s320/IMG_2846.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Completely new and updated kitchen.</div>
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Hope you love it as much as we do. </div>
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<strong>So who's ready to help me decorate?!?!</strong></div>
Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-37456213427378174032013-02-27T08:42:00.002-08:002013-02-27T08:42:28.040-08:00My First Pinterest Challenge - Letter Quotes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IZcD_mRZ1_-AdEeb2qhFsRW3WYUZ-v1h8iBLb8qjDxaJ8ETQkZg0ozSG_Y65D9ZkG2Emuk70dVHnnqbEP0ib20bcNHLZzAgc740ACXlASF2RiRo_oY4Opm0FHW21aYzrTejqSzUEbpM/s1600/winter-challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5IZcD_mRZ1_-AdEeb2qhFsRW3WYUZ-v1h8iBLb8qjDxaJ8ETQkZg0ozSG_Y65D9ZkG2Emuk70dVHnnqbEP0ib20bcNHLZzAgc740ACXlASF2RiRo_oY4Opm0FHW21aYzrTejqSzUEbpM/s1600/winter-challenge.jpg" gsa="true" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/" target="_blank">Sherry</a> </span><span style="color: black;">and </span><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/" target="_blank">Katie</a> </span><span style="color: black;">announced their Winter <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></span> Challenge last week and I knew I had to be a part of it this time. I love reading through all the challenges but never had the place to showcase something I've done. My goal after the last Pinterest Challenge was to have a blog so I could join in on the fun, and here we are. So I'm ready to play! Are you?!</span><br />
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Our girls are joined by guests <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.theremodeledlife.com/" target="_blank">Megan</a></span> and <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://decorandthedog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michelle</a> </span><span style="color: black;">this time around. Make sure you check out all their sites and link up to the Challenge.</span></div>
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Since we're in a cramped apartment right now, with nothing I ever NEED accessible, I had to do a lot of brain storming to figure out how I could participate, big or small. Some ideas:<br />
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1. Hair bows for the nieces to give them for Easter. Fabric would be easy to get....but where is the glue gun.</div>
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2. DIY some art....but where is the paint and would it even work in the new house.</div>
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3. Use the baking I did for my friend's son's birthday party....I only took one picture, major blogging fail.</div>
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4. Add the patches on a shirt with elbow holes....no clue where my craft supplies are.</div>
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5. Make Letter quotes for framing....I've only done this for others, with no pictures and are there any frames I can get to in the apartment.<br />
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Needless to say, everything seemed out of reach, but I landed on one of the above options, numero 5. So stay with me as this post is a bit thrown together in the final display. I wish I had better eye candy for you all...goal for next Pinterest Challenge for sure.</div>
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My original inspiration came from the pin of the website <a href="http://www.youareyourwords.com/" target="_blank">youareyourwords.com</a>. They take an image and words and merge them together. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_VrAPBhPPYjUyYdrZ8iZ5g797tK3SPNKlsNb_Q1Dq6gjXLHy02SSKgccQV2MP1PoxQA32qHcUrv8bEHb-98rLIs3fcBE9FFDhYRR0RxWrLIjlJ0-eVcg3wunGnD6he6cVciCWGppZXU/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_VrAPBhPPYjUyYdrZ8iZ5g797tK3SPNKlsNb_Q1Dq6gjXLHy02SSKgccQV2MP1PoxQA32qHcUrv8bEHb-98rLIs3fcBE9FFDhYRR0RxWrLIjlJ0-eVcg3wunGnD6he6cVciCWGppZXU/s1600/image.jpg" gsa="true" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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I could actually never get the site to run, and wanting to do something for a wedding present I had no good pictures of the couple. So I did a completely different spin.</div>
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I decided to use words from something important to the couple (vows, bible verses, readings, etc) and form them into the Initial of their last name. I've done this as two Anniversary gifts and as a wedding gift.</div>
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I'm sure there is a much more simple way to do this in a photoshop program, but I'm old-school and have no tech skills, so I use what I know. And THAT folks, is Microsoft Word. The steps were pretty easy.</div>
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1. Choose a large, thick font that you like. If something isn't already a block letter, you can usually make it so by doing Right click, Font and then click the "outline" box. I chose "Cooper Black" the first time I did this and tried to use it for the others, but sometimes the curve won't work with the letter and how the wording lines up, so you'll have to play around with it. I wanted something with a bit more curve but sometimes straight lines have to do instead.</div>
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2. Make the letter a very large size. I found 400 pt to be good. </div>
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3. Then I print screened the image, and pasted it into Word. I cropped everything out except the letter itself. Now it's an image of just the letter that I can work with and even resize.</div>
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4. Click on the letter and under Picture:Format, choose the Text Wrap as "Behind Text." This will allow you to type your text with the letter staying in place behind it.</div>
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5. Center the letter and size it as large as possible. </div>
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6. Choose your text. Things to think about at this point include: how much text you have (will it be long enough), the spacing of text, how long various words are and where they line up in the letter.</div>
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7. Left adjust the text and begin spacing/tabbing to the beginning of the letter. Remember, depending on your text, you might not need to start at the very tippy top of the letter. The letter is just a guide to help frame your text into a shape. It WILL NOT fit exactly in the lines. That's what makes each one unique.</div>
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8. Finally type out all your text. Keep an eye as you go remembering how much text you have left. Sometimes you might need to add more of less on a line depending how the next line ends up. It's about what looks best. You might need to increase or decrease the size of your text too. *NOTE: You can make the final ANY size you want, so work bigger now. You may also want to adjust the spacing between lines.</div>
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9. When your text is all in, delete the letter.</div>
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10. Create a PDF of your document. Another option is making sure all the edit (you'll have a lot since the lines don't begin with capitals) are ignored so the document looks clean.</div>
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11. Make the view of your screen as large as possible to fit all the text. Then print screen the image.</div>
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12. Paste this image on an empty page in Word. Crop to see just the letter.</div>
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13. Using this image size it however you want. I've done 5x7s as well as 8.5x11. Using Word you can also created bigger sizes if your printer can do that.</div>
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This quote was part of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's wedding gifts. I actually read this reading at their wedding, so I thought it was perfect for part of their gift. Good news is they loved it. It's the poem "Love" by Roy Croft.</div>
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(Excuse the horrible glare hanging in my cubicle)</div>
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For the gift I used a simple wooden frame, but I actually also love this thin black frame. This was just a document frame that momentarily displaced by Engineering Intern license. I might find a place for this at home since we're "W" too.</div>
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<a href="http://i%20love%20you/" target="_blank">LOVE</a> -by Roy Croft </div>
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Another option is to throw in a pop of color. For the Anniversary presents I made I used black lettering but cut out a thin color frame to go around it inside the metal frame. Here I gave color to the text since the frame itself was intricate.</div>
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Let's pretend my husband took my last name, and we'll be "F' for now since this was a nice wedding frame</div>
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I wanted to only do the part of the reading that was done at the wedding, but it was pretty short (seen in bold below) so I grabbed the entire verse and made those select verses bold so they would stand out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEUNESN_xrI__5EH2K-4uYOJug6s_Bh5qFKmXq_6w_pBxukHlTK_F7pXeoU152JeNish3Lycj6Kb8cLHgAIVxSo9Jo8usaGdrEvxXHAi7-8G1Ge-sUP2fCO34t7-khUNuGVROzSrAlqU/s1600/101_2432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEUNESN_xrI__5EH2K-4uYOJug6s_Bh5qFKmXq_6w_pBxukHlTK_F7pXeoU152JeNish3Lycj6Kb8cLHgAIVxSo9Jo8usaGdrEvxXHAi7-8G1Ge-sUP2fCO34t7-khUNuGVROzSrAlqU/s1600/101_2432.JPG" gsa="true" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV" target="_blank">1st Corinthians 13</a></div>
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Hope this gave you some ideas on how you can make unique and personalized gifts. I would do this for everyone if I could. I thinks its simple and sweet. Seriously not sure why I haven't made one for myself yet. Guess I'll get on that when I need to add art in our new house.</div>
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If you stopped by, THANKS! Feel free to paste a link in the comments to your website so I can check out what you did. Also, make sure you head over to the blogs of the Pinterest Challenge Hosts and see what others did and link in there.</div>
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Happy Pinning!</div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-szFOAIqRdyc%2FUS4wXotLqtI%2FAAAAAAAAAi8%2FxaRjHGv105M%2Fs1600%2F101_2431.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqgAh6URFgV4_64jwVDYa7rvX6F8y01KHZUoZlSrSxuzyoC9xvDzPW0N5kn_ETDt-8_OUKVPveQaxVF_A2_Mka8e61Dx0dqxoMKBELnl4UUP6fDN1ORIjicAj68B5PZs-n9PWLx5QIR0/s1600/101_2431.JPG" -->Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-90285323373627149602013-02-06T13:10:00.003-08:002013-02-06T13:10:22.719-08:00Mixed EmotionsI've been MIA from blogging. I've been reading lots of blogs but not posting on my own. Why? Because reading is a lot easier than writing and adding pictures. Also...<br />
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WE'RE BUYING A HOUSE!<br />
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WHAT?!?!<br />
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We have owned our current house just over 2 years, we close on selling that house in 1 week, we move into an apartment this weekend and we move into a new house if all goes well in under 2 months. Needless to say life has been crazy.<br />
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I've stressed over decisions, money, where to live for the time being, where to buy, what house is right for us, more money, work and life in general. I thought it would get easier after the Holiday but not yet. Not for us.<br />
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I haven't worked out in over 2 weeks which I know is only adding to my stress level. Boxes and disorganization are taking over my life. Since we'll be in our apartment for a little over a month (we planned for 6 months while building so we already took out that lease) we've decided not to worry about making it a home. Thus, it will be a mess. Then I'm sure our new house will be a mess for a while.<br />
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So needless to say, I've been reading blogs. Logging all those awesome ideas I see for my future house. <br />
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I'm excited, I'm pumped. But I'm also scared. Scared of change and a feeling of being homeless for a while. It'll all be worth it in the end through because we'll have our forever (fingers crossed) home.<br />
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So please keep us in your thoughts that this all goes smoothly and by Spring time (will it ever come?) we'll be happy in our new home.<br />
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Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-43675818850659994252013-01-11T09:48:00.004-08:002013-06-13T11:36:12.285-07:00Book Review: Save Me<u>Save Me</u> a novel by Lisa Scottoline<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNBYqRI9AINGXl6zoTAnZW653EN-xTOVDOUy4tcAd_dhs6osW17aYPIqfKDUUAq28PAEdYWiJc4S0xfzSgTjN8BZ5dmF3VkmfaH-L3lRFp7C9AIu8vVr6_Qq65lh1EPSBxT7HVhf4eXU/s1600/saveme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNBYqRI9AINGXl6zoTAnZW653EN-xTOVDOUy4tcAd_dhs6osW17aYPIqfKDUUAq28PAEdYWiJc4S0xfzSgTjN8BZ5dmF3VkmfaH-L3lRFp7C9AIu8vVr6_Qq65lh1EPSBxT7HVhf4eXU/s1600/saveme.jpg" eea="true" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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I was first introduced to the author <a href="http://scottoline.com/Books/lookagain.html" target="_blank">Lisa Scottoline</a> in the grocery store. It happened like the random act of meeting your soulmate in the store, you turn around and it's love at first site. Cliche I know.<br />
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I was waiting for my mom to check out and there was a new books section at the entrance. Being a book lover I would just perused the cover to read over their synopsis. Lisa Scottoline's <u>Look Again</u> caught my eye. The basic premise is that a woman finds the picture of her adopted son on a "Missing Child" card and the plot moves on from there. It was a thrilling read but I never thought to look for any more books by her.<br />
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Until the other day when I was searching through books at the thrift store. First I look at the cover and the name, is it catchy? Then I check the price, is it under $4? Then finally I read the synopsis and decide if it sounds like a good read. Obviously it's no big investment but if I start a book I have to finish, so I want it to be a good one.<br />
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When I noticed Lisa Scottoline's name on the bookshelf I figured why not and all my criteria were met. I must say this was a great book to start off my New Year and my resolution to read every day. Thankfully this book has helped me stay on track.<br />
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<u>Save Me</u> was captivating to read. When I only had a few minutes to read, I was always wanting more. I WANTED to read every day because I desired to find out what was next. The book was written in a lot of small chapters which made it easy to just sit down and read a bit at a time as well.<br />
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<strong>Synopsis: </strong>Rose is acting as a lunch aide in her elementary aged daughters brand new, state-of-the-art school to keep an eye on the bullying that is being done to her daughter. After most students have headed out to recess, Rose remains reprimanding some students for bullying. An explosion suddenly occurs within the kitchen engulfing the cafeteria in flames and smoke. Rose awakens after being momentarily knocked out and knows she has to act fast to save the kids she was talking with. Then she remembers that her daughter Melly ran off to the handicap bathroom after being bullied. Who must she save and how can she save these girls and her daughter? While this main storyline happens at the beginning of the novel, the continuing story details how the community views her efforts, the effect it has on the school and community, and the mystery of what really caused the fire. Inside this plot there also carries a storyline of family bonds and mysterious cover ups.<br />
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I must say that the beginning was a lot more riveting than the end. I guess that depends what you find riveting. The Book began with drama then lead into mystery. So I'd say the drama aspect is more my thing.<br />
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Overall this book was a great read. Rose is definitely the super-hero mom in this novel, but I was able to enjoy her story not even being a mother myself. The book really made me think about a lot of questions. Who would you save if it was down to the line?<br />
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<strong>So what books have you been reading lately? I'm always open for new ideas!</strong>Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-64818664236911377872013-01-08T16:12:00.001-08:002013-01-08T16:12:39.818-08:00Our little baby named foreclosureI'm excited to bring to you our first house that we bought as a foreclosure!<br />
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Our first house which we will be moving out of in a month. WHAT?! After having it listed for 7 months and just meeting our 2 year mark of ownership before moving out, we're moving on. What we'll do next is to be determined. Just when I was finally coming to terms with staying where we are and considering all the positives of that decision, we get an offer that works for us.<br />
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Coming up will be a few posts that describe how the foreclosure process worked for us and details of all our renovations. As we move on to an apartment for now I'll be sure to bring posts of our First House DIY details as I reminisce.<br />
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Let me start by saying that although our house had a lot we didn't like, it was ALL cosmetic changes. There was nothing structurally wrong with our house. We consulted a few family members during the process who helped confirm that this was a good choice. After the inspection we felt even more confident with just some minor things we needed to fix once we bought her. Of course they kind of missed the leak, but it was winter so we agreed to forgo that part of the inspection...Lesson learned. I'll detail that another day.<br />
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<strong>Entry Way and Half Bath</strong><br />
Welcome to our house, the land of teal carpets. We were kinda digging the open steps in such a small place. Each floor is about 500 sq ft. So being able to see into the living space from the entrance (and having an open kitchen) was a perk. A half bath on the main floor was also nice. Everything had been winterized so we spent a lot of time trying to get those stickers off everything. Eventually that builder grade cabinet gets thrown out, yay!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHvPvRdmiqGTz3zgHK6ulQNpNSTaFZME51E28cIv7pzVHRM9CcrqHY9y_rezH3zUMSNDPjCkK0z2VC1KMo9zCPo0yXYdR0cmnsln3Yecm9xaQPH63D2b6jKmu4xLhKlyxBmPRist4-mQ/s1600/100_1888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHvPvRdmiqGTz3zgHK6ulQNpNSTaFZME51E28cIv7pzVHRM9CcrqHY9y_rezH3zUMSNDPjCkK0z2VC1KMo9zCPo0yXYdR0cmnsln3Yecm9xaQPH63D2b6jKmu4xLhKlyxBmPRist4-mQ/s1600/100_1888.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Oh, Hey living area!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-7uIP_2nrOiTgtiqxSCrsxwt3jNNVkbbDBtqlOzXo2kiA0YrR9PljSXy5rWsxeUPE8MoQF9Wfz7lECXYChDGJ9eOwfHbm34FQFZXcTSVx4qMmv0GHdOODH0O5sduMMkkIKi38lFdMtE/s1600/100_1887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-7uIP_2nrOiTgtiqxSCrsxwt3jNNVkbbDBtqlOzXo2kiA0YrR9PljSXy5rWsxeUPE8MoQF9Wfz7lECXYChDGJ9eOwfHbm34FQFZXcTSVx4qMmv0GHdOODH0O5sduMMkkIKi38lFdMtE/s1600/100_1887.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Basic, basic, basic bath</div>
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<strong>Living Space</strong><br />
First up was covering the back sliding door. We LOVED these curtains and planned all along to have a matching orange wall across from it (leading into the kitchen). We threw in all our combined furniture and pulled a futon from my parents that use to be in my basement/hang out area in high school. Please note the velcro above the futon. Velcro was EVERYWHERE as well as scotch tape just taped to the walls. More teal carpet and it was horribly stained but you can't really tell. She's quite the eye-sore.<br />
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Dark orange curtains</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPuBZEEzXRzdmhrjqhNpgQHxtUQ0p6lrFScuD2aZcd4vKB8hGj1koasETOpP5NlYRhE4lsxGwpriZ3XcEoIYc2-qrHZarN8Qb_I7JoESRk4N0_OpRG0bjXWpafqWFdN284TyiGLf0BvY/s1600/100_1873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPuBZEEzXRzdmhrjqhNpgQHxtUQ0p6lrFScuD2aZcd4vKB8hGj1koasETOpP5NlYRhE4lsxGwpriZ3XcEoIYc2-qrHZarN8Qb_I7JoESRk4N0_OpRG0bjXWpafqWFdN284TyiGLf0BvY/s1600/100_1873.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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clashing with bright orange futon and blanket</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TGgdILZIdKotXqIJ_hhJvpCYqNXJ1fMNhQTtk33dufLbm7LgeaFqD9qe9qyctWSJgF8WypB4VbWV5LQvmzd1FjeF3wbjlqPWkylKpBMnvKgXQ5ZsMuwootvtIKs42252Sj7ul3mEIjg/s1600/100_1877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TGgdILZIdKotXqIJ_hhJvpCYqNXJ1fMNhQTtk33dufLbm7LgeaFqD9qe9qyctWSJgF8WypB4VbWV5LQvmzd1FjeF3wbjlqPWkylKpBMnvKgXQ5ZsMuwootvtIKs42252Sj7ul3mEIjg/s1600/100_1877.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sigh, so glad this is gone</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Kitchen</strong></span><br />
Beautiful beigey appliances (I believe use to be white) clashed with beige cabinets. It's so odd because my friend lives in this development and has much nicer cabinets, makes me wonder who lived here that actually picked these. The floor was pretty gross under all the appliances to the point where the gross stuff was peaking out underneath. Yuck! We couldn't wait to get rid of these appliances. It was definitely first on our list. <br />
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Look how gross the floor is</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxZ0pp1hmIPaqpL445hVmABRa5t1WSZoMNuWsLjGgYNKzuNchdlETGr3wN69NnYGnbujhsQ3r8I5FUbN-1GdGiJfFTSoQP2x7OyUkbfsbpeGmfysxi-DnmX3uu5yEN2wfKkPqUOHoMfI/s1600/100_1879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxZ0pp1hmIPaqpL445hVmABRa5t1WSZoMNuWsLjGgYNKzuNchdlETGr3wN69NnYGnbujhsQ3r8I5FUbN-1GdGiJfFTSoQP2x7OyUkbfsbpeGmfysxi-DnmX3uu5yEN2wfKkPqUOHoMfI/s1600/100_1879.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Too much beige</div>
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Master Bedroom</span></strong><br />
This space is nice and open. The windows let in a lot of natural light and all the upstairs ceilings are vaulted. We had some old-school brass light fixtures throughout the house, chandelier types in the bedrooms, which we switched out. Some people might not like ceiling fans in their rooms, but it was definitely our thing. A HUGE perk was the double closets. My husband and I were not looking forward to sharing a closet as it was our first time living together. I have a lot of clothes. I still have a separate dresser for many items and my shoes take up half the closet (same size) int he front room, but that's OK. We managed to share, SCORE! Again we had velcro and tape on the wall. The tape was NOT fun to find after taping. It was so hard to see by itself but when you painted you could see shiny spots. Peel off, little piece by little piece, then paint again. Here's a good example of the carpet stains....don't ask!<br />
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Lots of closets, big window</div>
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Tape and velcro on the walls</div>
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Eww, stained floors</div>
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Upstairs Bath</span></strong><br />
On the upper level we had a full bath that was connected to both our room and the little hallway. It was nice because I can get in and out from my room easily but it's also accessible to guests. Don't want guests walking to the basement to shower. Believe me, we did that for a month while renovating this space, and it was not fun. I am seriously upset we never got a picture of the wallpaper border in this room. The plan was to keep a small piece and frame it to keep in the bathroom closet just for fun, but during the tearing down process we forgot. Better it's gone I say. This bathroom got an overhaul under a year ago to give us double sinks. More info on that because it was quite the task involving plumbing, that my handy man husband took on. Remember how we showered in the basement for a month....<br />
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To the left is the little toilet nook and closet</div>
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Front Bedroom</span></strong><br />
I usually call this the front bedroom of the second bedroom because it is (go figure) at the front of our house. Usually it's the store things bedroom and more importantly my craft/scrapbook room. I loved this room because of the little nook on the side. Gave me a dedicated space for my scrapbook stuff while still letting this be a guest bedroom. It's a bit cramped and only gets one side table (sorry Dad) but it works for the few guests we get. Here's one of our <strike>beautiful </strike>brass light fixtures. These closets worked perfectly fine, so clue why they were ever off their glider, possibly to fix the tub leak caused before winterizing the pipes. There is a whole in the wall of the closet, never got around to covering that. The leak actually also lead to having to rip a hole in the kitchen ceiling which almost led us to not being able to purchase the house. The bank wouldn't fix anything because it was a foreclosure, but some lenders wouldn't give us money without it being fixed. Thankfully we got things to work out.<br />
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Teal carpets to enjoy</div>
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Brass fixtures</div>
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Gross walls but nice window ledge</div>
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Garage</span></strong><br />
Not a 2 car garage like we really wanted but it allows for a lot of storage and my car. My husbands fits in there too but it's a lot tighter. Another reason I claim full parking rights in there. But really I told him that in the winter it's mine or else he can get up at 5:30 am and spend 15 minutes cleaning it off when there is snow/ice. It all works out. :)<br />
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I WISH it still looked this clean (the garage not my car)</div>
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Basement</span></strong><br />
This basement is a LIFESAVER. It's an extra 400 (approx.) square feet of space. We don't spend much time down here but it holds all our left over items. OK, we have a storage unit too, but it we weren't selling this would probably have ended up a cluttered mess. The washer and dryer is down here, one of the reasons I do laundry so infrequently. We have a full bath. Many units in our development don't have the bathroom just the hook ups. There is nice storage space under the stairs to throw all the junk no one needs to see. After putting up some shelves the middle area is pretty open. We've hung out here some when our house was just too hot in the summer, since our AC was never really up to snuff in cooling. We had to patch a lot of holes in the basement bathroom. We think they kept an animal in that room and it bit through the drywall. We had dreams of fixing this up and were days from actually starting the process when our offer came in. Things always work out!<br />
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Lots of room under the stairs</div>
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Bathroom in the far back right corner</div>
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Nice open space</div>
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Kinda cramped laundry area</div>
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<span style="color: black;">Well that's pretty much it. The good, bad and ugly of our foreclosure. Although I must say many more "goods" were to come as we upgraded. I can't wait to share all those updates with you. But for a basic rundown, here is what we ended up doing.</span><br />
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Entry Way - tile floor, paint door, new carpet on stairs, cling on side of door window so we have no peepers, paint walls, new fancier baseboard<br />
Half Bath - tile floor, new sink/cabinet, paint walls, new fancier baseboard, hang artwork, paint door<br />
Living Space - laminate wood floor, paint walls, new fancier baseboard, new couch, chaise, kitchen table and chairs, bigger TV, make shelves, hang art<br />
Kitchen - tile floor, paint walls, baseboard, new appliances to install, accessorize, new backsplash and granite counters, cover hole in ceiling, retexture to match<br />
Master Bedroom - new carpet, paint walls, reinstall baseboard, hang curtains, get more storage, ceiling fan, retexture ceiling to match where leak was, paint door<br />
Upstairs Bath - tile floor, new sinks/cabinet, plumbing related to double sinks, tear down wall paper and paint walls, reinstall baseboard, make towel hanging fixture, remove old mirror and hang new ones, removed old light fixture and hang new one with related wiring involved, paint doors<br />
Front Bedroom - new carpet, paint walls, reinstall baseboard, rehang closet doors, hang curtains, ceiling fan, paint door<br />
Garage - add place for shoes, hook up freezer, add shelves, hand a coat rack, paint door<br />
Basement - new carpet down to basement, install washer and dryer, add 2 large storage shelves, patch bathroom walls and paint, put down a large area rug, hang bedsheets to section off space (for listing), get a winter clothes/coats storage unit, organize house supplies in boxes, <strike>drywall closing off sump pump, under stairs and laundry/furnace to be separate areas, drop ceiling, new carpet, paint vanity in bath and tile border around mirror, new laundry sink (ours leaks)</strike><br />
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<strong>Which makeover are you looking forward to reading about the most?!</strong><br />
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<br />Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-50041645004536774872013-01-05T08:18:00.000-08:002013-01-05T08:18:12.233-08:00What's in my....<strong>PURSE?</strong><br />
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<em>Here's the first edition of a re-occurring (maybe monthly) post I'd like to do. It will focus on what's in my....bag, purse, make up kit, box, etc. You'd think this topic would expire quickly but I seriously have lots of ideas. I'm an organization person so everything is grouped together somehow. Heck I even think what's in my closet could last for a while. Hope you don't get too bored!</em><br />
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We got our first big snow of the year here in Ohio (thank you for holding off till Christmas) recently and that reminded me that my brown and orange purse was so Fall (and so 2012). So on New Years Eve while I cleaned up the house for guests I also cleaned up my purse. There was a bit of purging that needed to go on.<br />
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Let's dump her out and see what we've got.<br />
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Yes, I look at this and realize it is A LOT!!! So let's break it down into groups. Wanna play spot the bobby pin? Because it's there...</div>
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First is the "essentials"</div>
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-Wallet: Maybe we'll see a "What's in my wallet" another day because it needs cleaned out too. But basically if I go somewhere without my purse, I at least grab a few things from my wallet to add to a clutch or in my pocket.</div>
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-Work ID: Not good to be at work without this, can't get into the office (or leave to go to the bathroom). Once I tried to get to work at 6am because I had a deadline coming up, but I forgot my ID and sat on my butt in the lobby for an hour till someone else came. Lesson learned.</div>
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-Vitamins: Maybe not an essential to everyone but as I get older I've decided I need to keep myself healthy. Nice reminder for me to take my vitamin right now...OK, done.</div>
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-Makeup bag: Also to be blogged about. Again, maybe not an essential to you, but a MUST for me. Unfortunately I was not blessed with a smooth and acne free complexion. Plus sometimes when I leave for work at 6 am I don't remember to get myself completely ready, so it's good to have on stand-by.</div>
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Seasonal items</div>
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-Lotions: Bath and Body Works, thick lotion for my dry hands.</div>
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-More Lotion: because it's that time of year.</div>
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-Umbrella: Don't mind that it's missing the handle, I lost it, but it's smaller now and more compact for my purse, so I call that a win. This has now been moved to the closet, won't help me with the snow and wind.</div>
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Extras (no pun intended)</div>
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Gum: threw one of these in recently when I was heading out to meet some friends. Don't want bad breath.</div>
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Flash drives: These mostly stick around still from college. I was always saving files on a school computer then needing them at home or work. I still use sometimes for work files or saving pictures I want to upload.</div>
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Point and shoot Camera: This thing lives with me. I have a DSLR now that I take most places, but the old point and shoot will always be around. I hate to miss a picture!</div>
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"Extras" bag: Yep, another bag. This holds all my coupons, a pen or two, all my rewards program cards and various other items at times. Can't you wait till I blog about it!?!</div>
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The Randoms</div>
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DSLR Camera "bag": I don't usually carry this is my purse, but with a huge purse (clearly) and the Holiday bustle, I was carrying it around.</div>
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Verizon VISA Rebate: I've had this in my purse since Spring, it's even transferred purses and not been used yet...guess I don't like free money. NOT!</div>
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Corks and more corks: I made one project with corks for my brother-in-law's wedding in May and since then have been thinking of more ideas. In the mean time my parents keep collecting them for me. Last time I was at their house (October?) they gave these ones to me. They finally went into my craft box. I didn't actually contribute to drinking any of the bottles though.</div>
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Party Balloon Toothpicks: These were from my <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2013/01/kip-cake.html" target="_blank">niece's cupcakes</a><span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: black;">that I baked for Sunday so they made their way home then went into my baking supplies.</span></div>
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Clinique eyeshadow: On the road to the Birthday Party I was not yet ready, so I had to throw in my eyeshadow to do in the car. It's now back with my makeup. It didn't fit with the small makeup bag I carry. I don't carry eye shadow in that makeup bag, but other essentials.</div>
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The Bobby Pin: FOUND IT! This is another item that has moved from purse to purse. I rarely need a bobby pin at random so it's definitely not an essential. Back in the drawer it went with it's bobby pin friends.</div>
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So that's a wrap to "What's in my Purse."</div>
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Oops, looks like I forgot something!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtAwVJxVkj0qB9EYSkGSfWlce6yP3yIRBGx-7fdzS1DUsAmGWqNuePDqjA_N3VyELO3nqVWM9Iizi46pM1_1tU8BNI_biaAfsLa-Ima5kUDwHU91Ka-8w33Ax5UYXPDbRAFkmgKHrhtA/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtAwVJxVkj0qB9EYSkGSfWlce6yP3yIRBGx-7fdzS1DUsAmGWqNuePDqjA_N3VyELO3nqVWM9Iizi46pM1_1tU8BNI_biaAfsLa-Ima5kUDwHU91Ka-8w33Ax5UYXPDbRAFkmgKHrhtA/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" eea="true" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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This one likes to climb into ANYTHING! His current choice "toy" is a large cereal box. He got in here after I emptied it out, turned around, and lounged for a good 15 minutes until his brother decided to bother him.</div>
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<strong>Thanks for playing! So, what's in YOUR purse?</strong> <strong>Please share!</strong></div>
Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-68753703848298081812013-01-03T17:04:00.000-08:002013-01-03T17:04:51.702-08:00Thoughtful GiftingI had some last minute DIY gifts I had to put together in time for New Years Day which is when half my family gets together to celebrate Christmas. This is mostly extended family and I like to do small gifts like the <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2012/12/gift-wrapping-fun-part-2.html" target="_blank">the hand soap and ornaments</a>.<br />
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I needed to get something for the kids that would be there who we don't see very often but I like to buy for. I decided to go with a simple DIY idea, Hot Cocoa. Thanks to <a href="http://www.popcornonthestove.com/" target="_blank">Kristen at Popcorn on the Stove</a><span style="color: red;"></span><span style="color: black;"> for posting about <a href="http://www.popcornonthestove.com/2012/12/hot-chocolate/" target="_blank">homemade hot chocolate</a></span><span style="color: black;">! After taking her inspiration I ran with some new ideas.</span><br />
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First I bought cute holiday mugs at the Michael's after Christmas sale. I forgot to snap a picture before handing them out. But they were a snowman, Santa, and a reindeer with a giant, 3D, red nose. Cute for 3 kids under age 12.<br />
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I wanted to make hot cocoa "spoons" to give the kids. The basic process is as follows.<br />
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1. Melt Nestle Chocolate Chips in a small mug. A little bit at a time.<br />
2. Dip spoons into chocolate and get a good scoop. I used plastic ones since I was gifting but if you've making for fun to use at home soon, go ahead and use your own spoons.<br />
3. Place on wax paper on a plate or cookie tray.<br />
4. Place in the freezer to harden. Seemed like 5 minutes was a good amount of time.<br />
5. Pull out of the freezer and wrap up. In case you were wondering, no melting of the chocolate occurred then. I suppose if it was particularly hot you might have a problem. I'll let you know if I get any complaints from the gift receivers parents.<br />
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To add a little flair to my hot cocoa spoons, I decided to make 5 flavors. They are, in no particular order:<br />
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1. Coconut. I dipped the spoon as noted above then added shredded coconut on top before freezing. I figured with would probably rise to the top of cocoa but add a nice flavor for sipping.</div>
2. Krackle. I got a bag of candies for Christmas and decided to add these to a spoon. Again it was a regular spoon, but with some cut up candy pieces on it.<br />
3. Dark Chocolate. Another candy that was in the pack. Just added dark chocolate pieces to the regular spoon.<br />
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4. Peanut Butter. Instead of scooping a bunch of the melted chocolate on the spoon, I just lightly coated it. After freezing I removed the spoon and put a bit of peanut butter on. Then I added more chocolate to cover up the PB so it wasn't sticky and messy.</div>
5. Caramel. Same as the PB but when I removed from the freezer I poured a little bit of caramel sauce in the middle then covered with more chocolate. <i>(Note: When I was taking these pictures today I noticed the caramel ran out, so make sure it is COMPLETELY covered since the caramel stays smooth out of the fridge.)</i><br />
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Since I made 5 different types. I wrapped up 1 of each together for each kid. I then decided to make a cute little label and directions on how to mix up the hot cocoa. The recipes is also slightly altered from <a href="http://www.popcornonthestove.com/2012/12/hot-chocolate/" target="_blank">Kristen</a>'s because I had to downsize it since she used a whole chocolate bar. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLFRTfcd_NlS9wpC13mdNBwSeT218bCCPc0LomySaI5fffrNE8UOxCYumIqLUyA0fW4Q567sK_lzLvewfOF0bgfLNdrtBORYIZQcZDGjowMMfVFQFCp7qR9rBI9t0sRrvK1SAT5mJMyU/s1600/IMG_2559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLFRTfcd_NlS9wpC13mdNBwSeT218bCCPc0LomySaI5fffrNE8UOxCYumIqLUyA0fW4Q567sK_lzLvewfOF0bgfLNdrtBORYIZQcZDGjowMMfVFQFCp7qR9rBI9t0sRrvK1SAT5mJMyU/s1600/IMG_2559.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a> </div>
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The top lists the flavors and the directions are:</div>
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*Add spoon to a cup of warm milk.</div>
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*Add in 1/2 tbsp maple syrup and a drop of vanilla.</div>
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*Throw in a small pinch of salt. Mix.</div>
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*Top with marshmallows! Enjoy!!</div>
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Tied it all together in a holiday bag and there we have it. This one was an extra so I didn't tie a festive ribbon on it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdRROny9-sI5G9EL3JykbvGeMOO6mvH1IlXlDWf42z5sgWVQFKIKHQqq5rqZCfqAwdDNtJt8hH_cpXRsWF4gnEPRvSuQCWYpdaTSVwGAw0A9mFeoMB1qThCEJNcO1utP2dw3n50s7tQM/s1600/IMG_2558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdRROny9-sI5G9EL3JykbvGeMOO6mvH1IlXlDWf42z5sgWVQFKIKHQqq5rqZCfqAwdDNtJt8hH_cpXRsWF4gnEPRvSuQCWYpdaTSVwGAw0A9mFeoMB1qThCEJNcO1utP2dw3n50s7tQM/s1600/IMG_2558.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yum!</div>
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Another DIY gift I did this Holiday were babysitting coupons. My cousin and her husband have 2 girls (one of whom is my Goddaughter) just 14 months apart and they both work full time jobs. When I asked her what they (the adults) wanted for Christmas she said, "You can come over here and babysit." PERFECT! I call that a win-win situation.<br />
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So my husband picked up a few gift cards to restaurants near their house while he was at Giant Eagle. Darn, I just realized he gets the fuel perks for those, no wonder he was eager to offer. Moving on....</div>
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I got into my scrapbook papers and made mini coupons to tie to the gift cards. </div>
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I apologize for the horrible phone pictures, I was in a hurry to do these the day we left for the Christmas get- together.</div>
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The coupons say: Good for One night out with free babysitting. Expires 12-31-13.</div>
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I was hoping that the expiration date would make them more likely to use the coupons. And if they don't end up needing us to babysit, at least they have some gift cards to go out and enjoy a dinner while paying a bit less.</div>
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<strong>Did you do any DIY gifts this Holiday? </strong></div>
Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-77385983102946825462013-01-02T16:44:00.002-08:002013-01-02T16:44:15.290-08:00Kip CakeMy first of 4 nieces turned 2 this past weekend, and I was honored to make her birthday cake. My grandmother actually made her 1st Birthday cake because she made all our cakes as kids. I was so excited to help and actually put my cake decorating classes to good use.<br />
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This post will definitely be the first of many baking posts. In case you couldn't tell from my header I love to bake cakes and cupcakes. I've had many adventures in both and hope to inspire you to whip up something delicious for your next event.<br />
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So the party at hand was "Kipper the Dog" themed. If you don't have kids, or do and haven't heard of Kipper, don't worry. It's a <a href="http://www.hitentertainment.com/kipper/" target="_blank">British TV series</a> that currently airs on PBS Kids Sprout. I had to do my research for ideas and even my sister-in-law said there is little Kipper themed accessories for parties. My niece loves Kipper though so we went with it. I was excited for the challenge.<br />
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I spent a lot of time on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and just googling to find cake ideas. My sister-in-law asked for cupcakes but a birthday party needs a central cake too. Take a look at some of the ideas on my <a href="http://pinterest.com/rebeccafw/cakes-cupcakes/" target="_blank">Cakes/Cupcakes</a> board. I was set to do the sheet cake with Kipper's face until someone showed me the Kipper in a basket. I just KNEW that it would be a show-stopper and I had to use my basket-weave technique.<br />
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Let's not wait any longer. Here is the finished product.<br />
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I LOVE how it turned out. Everyone at the party thoroughly enjoyed it to. Best of all my 2 year old niece got wide eyed when she saw her "Kip" cake. Nothing better than pleasing the birthday girl!</div>
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I made Kipper's head out of rice kripsie treat. Then I wrapped white fondant all around it. I used pre-packaged fondant from the Wilton line at Michaels. Next I dyed some white fondant to a color I thought looked close to Kipper's coloring and cut a smooth edge. Then I wrapped it around the top part. I made the nose and ears out of fondant as well. I was able to "glue" them on to the head by wetting the fondant and pressing on. Just a little trick. They stayed on well too after I let them have some time to dry in place. To make those pieces black (since it is REALLY hard to die icing or fondant jet black) I dabbed a wet brush in the black gel coloring. I then painted the ears and nose and drew on the eyes and mouth. Easy stuff!</div>
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Kipper's paw was also formed from fondant.</div>
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The basket weave was definitely my favorite part. Most time consuming too. The weave itself took 35 minutes. I used buttercream icing. My hand was so sore from squeezing the icing bag though that I took a lot of breaks. So I'm going to say about an hour total from start to finish to ice it.</div>
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I got a little carried away and decided to add Pig and Slipper to the cake. They were simply made out of fondant, "glued" together and left to dry. Each took under 5 minutes.<br />
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I saved the blanket for last. I made the cake and iced it the night before since I didn't know in advance how long it would take me. Fondant has to be out in the open (can't even place in a sealed container) or it gets wet and "melty" (not the correct terms). So the other pieces just sat out in an open container covered lightly with a paper towel.</div>
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On the morning of the party I rolled out a large piece of white fondant so I could cut a square that would cover the cake. Then I cut small colored squares of fondant. These were left over from the confetti cupcakes (will share in a moment). I lined everything up and "glued" the square on. </div>
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I used toothpicks to secure Kipper's head and paw to the cake. Then, with my husband's help, we draped the blanket over the cake so it was kind of ruffled up and covered everything nicely. Pig and slipper were placed on last minute at the party.</div>
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We then drove 1.5 hours to PA with the cake on my lap in the car. My husband did a good job of trying to ruin the cake (pot holes, last second stops, etc) but it all arrived in one piece! We even stopped for fast food on the way and the lady at the drive through said, "Is that a cake?!" I wanted to reply, "Nope, it's just a small dog in a basket" but was feeling nice that day.<br />
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Along with the cake I made some cupcakes. We needed to feed about 35 people. I made both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, 24 of each. So we had A LOT more than needed but that's just how it worked out since I used box mixes.<br />
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It's a party! Kipper confetti cupcakes!</div>
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When I bought the red cupcake wrappers, they came with the little balloon toothpicks. They had some confetti on them, so it inspired me to make confetti cupcakes. I rolled out some fondant that I colored, just primary colors. I used our noodle cutter to make thin strips. Then I forced them into spiral shapes and laid them out to dry. If fondant sits out in the open too long it dries out. I let these sit for only a day and they held their shape up really well once I put them on the cupcakes at the party.</div>
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Close up of the cupcakes and Kipper medallions.</div>
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I iced the cupcakes and sprinkled red sugar crystals on them Saturday then added all the fancy stuff Sunday at the party. The little medallions are just a circle of fondant then I used my regular buttercream icing to draw Kippers face the the "2s".</div>
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Are you hungry yet?! Hope you enjoyed the first of many cupcake posts.</div>
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<b>Anyone else a cupcake baker? I'd love to hear about your baking adventures!</b></div>
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Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-49638820175870282012012-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:002012-12-26T07:05:21.559-08:00Gift Wrapping Fun (Part 3)<strong>Note: Apparently I have no tech skills and my set-up to post this on 12/14 didn't work out. Being gone from the interwebs since 12/13 I had no idea. Needless to say it is now after Christmas and a little dated but the first two little ladies (ok, their parents) loved the gifts, hopefully the other 2 do as well when they receive them next week.</strong><br />
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I've finally wrapped most of my Holiday gifts (at least the ones I actually need Christmas Eve and Christmas) for friends and family this year. I got all my cards out too. Making cards really does take a bit of time. I've got a post coming soon about how I brain storm for making my Christmas cards.<br />
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But we're talking about little girl gifts and how FUN they are today. My focus here is the adorable clothes I bought the 4 girlies in my life. Besides clothes I got them bath toys paired with a DIY bath paint recipe, books, and CDs.<br />
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<em>For the very soon to be 2 year old:</em><br />
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She's a silly little monkey, so when I saw this at Old Navy on the clearance rack I bought it.</div>
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Aren't these details with the bow and ears just the best thing ever?</div>
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I decided to pair the awesome jacket with a simple polka dot onesie and red pants (also Old Navy). I think it brings out the blush on the monkey's face.</div>
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Oh, and if the jacket wasn't cute enough...how can you not love the little ruffled butt!</div>
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<em>For the 9 month old (who is in 12 month clothes almost and the little sis of the above):</em></div>
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Adorable frog pajamas.</div>
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I can never pass up anything that says "Aunt" on it. I'm a sucker. I just love me nieces!</div>
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Her Mamma said she needed some winter clothes so I provided lots of sets. I love how these can be worn in a variety of ways. We have a long sleeve onesies, striped pants and a thick, warm jumper.</div>
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PS: How cute is the little owl detail peeking out of the jumper's pocket?!</div>
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Another set I found (these 3 outfits are from Target) is a bit dressier. I thought this set would be fun for church or an outing.</div>
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<em>For the 1.5 year old:</em></div>
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I found this little shirt (dress?) while online shopping at Old Navy when they had a lot of great sales. It's sweet and simple. For a girl who likes to play around it'll be great.</div>
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I also picked up (from Old Navy) a little long sleeve heart onesie and the pants are ruffled. Seriously I can't get enough of the ruffles!</div>
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<em>For the 3 month old (sis of just above):</em></div>
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Found this while shopping the clearance rack of Target. I got it right after my niece was born and shortly after we got our kittens.</div>
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Never to young to start animal prints. MEOW!</div>
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When my niece was born and we found out she was a girl (it had been a secret the whole time), I ran right to the store to pick her up an outfit. I was on the hunt for a "little sister shirt" (because I got her big sister a "Best Big Sister Ever" shirt). When we found this I had to buy it. We've been looking for an "Uncle" shirt for the longest time. I could never find one reasonably prices. It's still a bit big for her but it'll be on hand at her house now.</div>
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How did i wrap these up? I like to go simple. Coordinating colors, usually gift tag-less, some bows. We all know little kids all like the wrapping, ribbons, box, etc the best anyways. Especially when it comes to clothes. Wait till their teenagers, and they will LOVE when their Aunt offers to buy them clothes...</div>
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(Please ignore the poor lighting quality. I rarely see the sun these days leaving for work at 6 am and getting home at 5 pm)</div>
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I love using this snowman wrapping paper for kids. It's just fun. I just realized you can't see the darn blue wrapping paper I paired with this. I went patterned, solid, patterned and then wrapped it all up in a bright, festive bow.</div>
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Sometimes it's just easier to throw your gifts into a big. The one of the left is so simple. I just added some glitter paper inside (sure to make cleaning up 10 times harder). The right bag has a Christmas scene on it so I stuck with solid colors. I liked the green to bring out some of the trees and holly on the bag.</div>
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Here is another fun "kid's" paper. Just wrapped it up, no box required. I added a variety of bows for festive flair.</div>
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You may have noticed all these clothes wrapped up are pretty void of sharp edges. I usually leave the box behind and just fold the clothes up nicely and wrap. Why have something else to throw away and I always feel silly asking for the box back to re-use. It's a lot easier to pack this stuff up to carry for traveling on the holidays because it packs tighter. When I take the presents out I just fluff up and bows and we're good to go.</div>
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Hope this Gift Wrapping series helped you figure out some ideas for gifts or how to wrap gifts for the Holidays. Remember just have fun! There is always someone who is a worse wrapper than you.</div>
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<strong>Are you done wrapping all your presents yet?</strong></div>
Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-83942541087614885452012-12-12T13:58:00.002-08:002012-12-12T13:58:22.700-08:00Holiday Card MakingI've always been a scrapbooker, but in the past year or so I have got more interested in making cards. I don't do it often because I am usually not confident in how they will turn out. I don't want to give someone a crap wedding card. "Congrats, I care so much that I made you this piece of crap to save a dime on you." Not what I'm going for.<br />
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The one occasion I have been making cards for the past 3 years in Christmas. I have so much Christmas stuff for cards and there is a plethora of Christmas card ideas on the internet (like Pinterest) so I am confident that my cards will come out cute. I since it's more of a thinking of you and wishing you the best this time of year, I feel like personal is better. And I reserve the crappy cards when that happens for close friends/family (sorry mom). <br />
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It all starts with having the basic supplies. You need the following:<br />
1. Cards (or paper to make cards)<br />
2. Envelopes<br />
3. Solid and Patterened papers<br />
4. Tape (double sided)<br />
5. Colored pens<br />
6. Scissors/cutter<br />
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Pens, tape (double sided, roller), small cutter</div>
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I personally buy packs of cards and envelopes that come together at Michaels in both beige and white. With a coupon they are under $10 for a pack of 50. Yes, FIFTY!!! That's 20 cents a card people. At the card store I personally have a rule of no card over $3 dollars (unless it's super cute or I've already been there an hour looking).<br />
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Then I'd like to call these next items the starters kit:<br />
7. Fancier scissors that cut various edges<br />
8. Stamps (from Thank you, to Christmas, to Thinking About You and everything in between)<br />
9. Ink <br />
10. Stickers<br />
11. Ribbon<br />
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A sample of my holiday stamps. I usually look for sale ones or use a coupon at Michaels for them. The "Joy" and "Noel" were actually dollar section ones. The ornament shaped, "Happy Holidays" and "Season's Greetings" same in a pack of Holiday Sayings. </div>
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All the square ink pads were under $2 in the sale section at a local scrapbooking store, Archivers. The others are from Michaels I believe.</div>
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This is a collection of scrap paper and holiday stickers. I try to keep everything like this together so it's easier to find when I'm card making. I keep most scraps unless they are very tiny.</div>
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I stash all my ribbons in an old Hershey box. I got it as a gift for something with candies inside but it was too cute to throw away. Glad I found a use for it. Most of these ribbons come from weddings I've been to (on the bulletin, announcement, favors, wrapping my bridesmaid flower stems, etc) or from various gifts.</div>
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These items make the cards fun and festive. I love stamps that say a Holiday greeting that I can then add my own personal message to. I usually use the patterned paper, stickers, and stamps to really embellish the outside. The inside I keep pretty minimal.<br />
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These items really help to add a little extra to your cards:<br />
12. Special stamping kits/packs<br />
13. Packs of specialty paper or cards<br />
<span style="color: black;">14. Heat embosser</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">15. Die-cutting and embossing tool</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2QpBn_pTs02K_-_GZ1-oPoeXKD0lLo44m4pm95LOqgYcNoP2DtvLd0U0xH6ha09gmOyhupweDqFAACCrjwWFJBDMe9HV_B0lcARDOI95qs0YgDbDElu6Lh9EjWdQMkMegBPUo9qIDoQ/s1600/IMG_0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2QpBn_pTs02K_-_GZ1-oPoeXKD0lLo44m4pm95LOqgYcNoP2DtvLd0U0xH6ha09gmOyhupweDqFAACCrjwWFJBDMe9HV_B0lcARDOI95qs0YgDbDElu6Lh9EjWdQMkMegBPUo9qIDoQ/s1600/IMG_0777.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Holiday paper packs paired with a regular cardstock pack</div>
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Specialty cards</div>
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<span style="color: black;">The only realm of these extra items I've broke in to is the specialty packs (No. 13). I have picked up quite a few packs of holiday or just colored cards. Most packs were just in the $1 section at Michaels (catching a theme here?). I have a few packs of Holiday paper too that I actually bough for scrapbooking originally. I love that I can use it for both, since paper packs are usually a bit pricey (over $10 dollars or so), but you do get a lot for your money. I have about 5 different packs for scrapbooking and in 10+ years I've never finished one. That's what I call bang for your buck folks!</span><br />
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I've used 13 and 14 a few times at craft stores and friends' houses but just don't have the space to store alot more stuff, plus these are a little most costly usually.<br />
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Enough chatter let's look at some cards. I like to mostly browse ideas online then do something a bit different myself. Otherwise I'm afraid I might send the same card to someone from one year to the next. Because the basic card itself is the same, I love to make no two alike. Even a colored card can be made two different ways. <br />
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Ok, I lied, I made these two alike BUT they are in different colors (gold vs. silver). I made sure the people who got these would not be people who see each other over the holiday. We want everyone to feel extra special.</div>
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Sometimes I do a card that is more focused to a kid, or more "seasonal" compared to Christmas specific, or that is religious. I then decide which cards best fit the people I send them to. Again, it's about wishing them a good season and to let them know your thinking about them.<br />
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The first says "Fa La La La La" and then we have jingle bells. These cards are kind of like ornaments too.</div>
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I love how these two open. Same card style but two different wasn't of making them.</div>
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The santa cut-out one is always fun to decorate and the maroon card was just adorned with a simple sticker.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTIleOKYZ9ER6F4kCXE7BZAho1R0TBFm07Ua8dn5LAxzJijIGra6_P2dYgKJ3DmXbREGkdaWIxM1ZS2xJgOGTfvwEEa7TkdaLQAGuiVwiRIzndl2Z1wXB8_7QT_0Vjjbcax7b8b8CCwI/s1600/IMG_0942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTIleOKYZ9ER6F4kCXE7BZAho1R0TBFm07Ua8dn5LAxzJijIGra6_P2dYgKJ3DmXbREGkdaWIxM1ZS2xJgOGTfvwEEa7TkdaLQAGuiVwiRIzndl2Z1wXB8_7QT_0Vjjbcax7b8b8CCwI/s320/IMG_0942.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sometimes I use pieces from old cards (left) or I write my own message on the outside with raised cut-outs (right).</div>
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An important thing to note is to ALWAYS "sign" your cards. A few years ago I found this "R" stamp and I use it on the back of every card. Then I just write my initials and the year.</div>
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Inside your card you not only want to make it pretty and festive, you want to ad your own message. I keep it pretty generic over all so I can send to whomever later. I might add an extra special note when I send it out then.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw9sXt3KYp3r17MszNTrJT2xASNskRMQNK5-YRUYNWROFDKcoSOID5rhEjryS2Co7X4TgarBEpuX4rFkJQ3puZtLtrqQNFkpCsFuNVI3UdWvD_zmPGTTKQr5Liaw0woBM89HgqTYf-IQ/s1600/IMG_0961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw9sXt3KYp3r17MszNTrJT2xASNskRMQNK5-YRUYNWROFDKcoSOID5rhEjryS2Co7X4TgarBEpuX4rFkJQ3puZtLtrqQNFkpCsFuNVI3UdWvD_zmPGTTKQr5Liaw0woBM89HgqTYf-IQ/s320/IMG_0961.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you see here, I did some stamping inside but added Holiday messages too!</div>
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Definitely remember to keep it fun! Card making is pointless if you don't enjoy it too. If you'd rather send out a picture card or buy a pack and send the same to everyone then do it. Just never forget to add an extra message to make it a bit "home-made."</div>
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<strong>Hope this was a great reminder to send out your Christmas cards or inspire you to make some. Good Luck!</strong></div>
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Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-58884382075246629982012-12-11T10:48:00.002-08:002012-12-11T10:48:44.302-08:00Holiday House Tour 2012I recently had a discussion with a co-worked about the number of boxes of decorations I have. She seemed astounded that I have 3 large plastic tubs of Christmas decorations. After reading all your blogs out there, I do believe I am at the low end really.<br />
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I have one tub of Christmas ornaments and two tubs of Christmas decorations. Besides that I have a separate box with the tree stand, 2 smaller boxes with manager scenes (that have nowhere to be put right now), a plastic garbage container that holds wrapping paper (for all occasions), a picnic basket holding tissue paper and ribbon, and an old popcorn tin for bows. Ok, maybe that's a bit more than 3 tubs...<br />
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Now to show you around the house for the Holidays. Since this is also one of the first looks of my house, don't worry if you get confused in the layout, although it is pretty easy and I only decorated the first floor plus the upstairs hall bookshelf.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5V-18Y9MiCtRe8Ul8Tve8y5MeNqpgVkteII-TStnPNLTF_4Mnah6R0v6DrgknVQhfqZXJvawL3lrEVjBbTQyrnrCMIPh1vNpDZlGAcpfiTcyR8jyXgnB-cOZEiQmEirgEuzVr0otaeM/s1600/IMG_1382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5V-18Y9MiCtRe8Ul8Tve8y5MeNqpgVkteII-TStnPNLTF_4Mnah6R0v6DrgknVQhfqZXJvawL3lrEVjBbTQyrnrCMIPh1vNpDZlGAcpfiTcyR8jyXgnB-cOZEiQmEirgEuzVr0otaeM/s1600/IMG_1382.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our hallway/kitchen "window" where out stockings hang below (also seen <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2012/12/gift-wrapping-fun-part-one.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I have some holiday dishtowels hanging too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHuM5m3IGnzJxJlXEAihjVD9P-zj57cVITZON6hmmSYVJzbvAmetxO9y-gWV3i8hCuf3vKZFUgN1Nucax7TzrSASgc-58LePOJD4hlKExaNvEHz8c6rKul4RM1_7wMe4Kh8HluDjHn2w/s1600/IMG_1383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHuM5m3IGnzJxJlXEAihjVD9P-zj57cVITZON6hmmSYVJzbvAmetxO9y-gWV3i8hCuf3vKZFUgN1Nucax7TzrSASgc-58LePOJD4hlKExaNvEHz8c6rKul4RM1_7wMe4Kh8HluDjHn2w/s1600/IMG_1383.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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I try to stay away from a lot of red/green for Christmas since our house has a lot of orange decorations. I LOVE these jingle bells stacked in an apothecary jar from our wedding (it was filled with M&Ms).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFmy2JU4WCyve3X9goOO1j4dtEuNkS2A9NjmhfOVIuxwUPmfxAa4548Elh0BvJO2ceydBKCWMbipPdxTktLigp4BpwcvoIqNaHP6avYaSpglH0BGt_aKjFpIQxLbjoSLQpP44B_e4Avo/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFmy2JU4WCyve3X9goOO1j4dtEuNkS2A9NjmhfOVIuxwUPmfxAa4548Elh0BvJO2ceydBKCWMbipPdxTktLigp4BpwcvoIqNaHP6avYaSpglH0BGt_aKjFpIQxLbjoSLQpP44B_e4Avo/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I the living area we added some Holiday cheer to the shelves my husband built. (See orange painting as example of our orange colors in the house). A little snowflake garland I've had since college, the North Pole and a gold candle stand.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurwvUyygRtCCDjsa3zEimZ9LID6L6YeI9FMBI3s0DFkAb0v_6ap-47TK0bDWl80YFgIN18X1FWy9IXkL_uYDQvahQXby-Km5whyphenhyphenEjZD0mMzN8c49bvMrDkqlXbgK0RwOgOMZoB4uN9ng/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurwvUyygRtCCDjsa3zEimZ9LID6L6YeI9FMBI3s0DFkAb0v_6ap-47TK0bDWl80YFgIN18X1FWy9IXkL_uYDQvahQXby-Km5whyphenhyphenEjZD0mMzN8c49bvMrDkqlXbgK0RwOgOMZoB4uN9ng/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The North Pole is a collection of Cat's Meows I've had since high (middle?) school. I use to use it to decorate in my room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb2ZIryxG3ZYyDFbdNtXWtU57e6d1EtxNLFvde4zYkUgL2KRezbNXB09Cc490mD8oWcgfF1aR5cn02lIqem8d1ng0ZlrXOiQUEEjN7u40Mbox0676M5tizUK1LqQEJqVs_B4MgQf-154/s1600/IMG_1387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb2ZIryxG3ZYyDFbdNtXWtU57e6d1EtxNLFvde4zYkUgL2KRezbNXB09Cc490mD8oWcgfF1aR5cn02lIqem8d1ng0ZlrXOiQUEEjN7u40Mbox0676M5tizUK1LqQEJqVs_B4MgQf-154/s1600/IMG_1387.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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This boot sits under our coffee table and is filled with fake pine branches and berries. I got it from my Mom when she was getting rid of Holiday decorations. My favorite decorations are free.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpRxs34XJmPNsHLL-wl1EvICyjZMs58PZZ1Frwrw69lpNI1faPOEJeNaRlQl40enKySq5h23sTsLcJMdCld88aypyis7ggg-YgIQwscbQCPoo6jlYRzUwdf5POyGH8aUcmTnIRapLFf8/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpRxs34XJmPNsHLL-wl1EvICyjZMs58PZZ1Frwrw69lpNI1faPOEJeNaRlQl40enKySq5h23sTsLcJMdCld88aypyis7ggg-YgIQwscbQCPoo6jlYRzUwdf5POyGH8aUcmTnIRapLFf8/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The lazy susan on our table holds a glass hurricane candle holder year round that I change up the filler inside per the season. Right now we have some red and silver ornaments. I was going to use the jingle bells but since I loved those so much I wanted them prominent. These little red guys are festive without overdoing it (remember we are minimizing red).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNts8qXreJjMwM5101QoIIiFTcY5vhUJKWecg53i1kPwG3fCZ5en4yuxQeqOfwM5WiwVA893EPeI-bDmgCje9290MwpGrEKMEZFkwms70b4cHzgv9rOZQAmI2zHKDPPxpNy_KINZbM88/s1600/IMG_1331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNts8qXreJjMwM5101QoIIiFTcY5vhUJKWecg53i1kPwG3fCZ5en4yuxQeqOfwM5WiwVA893EPeI-bDmgCje9290MwpGrEKMEZFkwms70b4cHzgv9rOZQAmI2zHKDPPxpNy_KINZbM88/s1600/IMG_1331.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Our Christmas tree is shoved between the tv and table. Right now a lot of meals are spent at the couch and ottoman so we can catch up on DVRed shows while eating. To read more about our tree decorating read this <a href="http://happyaccidenthappenings.blogspot.com/2012/12/oh-christmas-tree.html" target="_blank">post</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpt8tbGx8unnBdohEP0yPe8e7rZpmxmxxjGtkLU_tBiIUDpFYjgYSkADHeGxL7690fWCZ-D6dIM3gCKx6cnOeBbDwfMsZP9CQABvwc-lGVQ2DQSe7z5Zv1fc0czglgHUHL4-nCHdXKR4/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpt8tbGx8unnBdohEP0yPe8e7rZpmxmxxjGtkLU_tBiIUDpFYjgYSkADHeGxL7690fWCZ-D6dIM3gCKx6cnOeBbDwfMsZP9CQABvwc-lGVQ2DQSe7z5Zv1fc0czglgHUHL4-nCHdXKR4/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the kitchen I have this cute plate (from Kohls last year) that sits out and usually hold various kitchen items. I also have matching mugs stowed away in the cabinets. On the cabinets you can see how I am displaying Christmas cards. I started this idea last year and love it so much I may have kept them up until Spring. I've only got two cards so far but I'll probably end up filling three cabinets again like last year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKNxzpFrziIG1jFGEv-8EDhBmjx-Ix6YhPsnz1P1X1q8HOE03-32xshKptTlJHOnUcIrPAqs0hqhpudBst4cwnCbWdarjmUax-iUiENwp7UG39XHJKgwEVTJ14JDB8rpRUL7Q2OKKFHc/s1600/IMG_1380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKNxzpFrziIG1jFGEv-8EDhBmjx-Ix6YhPsnz1P1X1q8HOE03-32xshKptTlJHOnUcIrPAqs0hqhpudBst4cwnCbWdarjmUax-iUiENwp7UG39XHJKgwEVTJ14JDB8rpRUL7Q2OKKFHc/s1600/IMG_1380.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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On the door to the garage we have a star hung to add a bit of cheer to our foyer area. I found this on sale last year at Target after Christmas.</div>
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When I bought this little hanger last year from Michaels or Hobby lobby, I have hopes of hanging it on one of the cabinet pulls in the kitchen but the loop wasn't big enough. So I hung 'er up here in the bathroom. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD15nyNLZ1xM8PvICz4fl9F1Dp2fLOhfs0QilQNa9h2vxDdQzgDXLWap1WtY4TWc0t3nv6maBJZl-6v4NkNJZR5ocFLPKPI0FlMAcJNOGEFPVZYW8wDy5MaAESqoirVkJYglngJvK6MpU/s1600/IMG_1373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD15nyNLZ1xM8PvICz4fl9F1Dp2fLOhfs0QilQNa9h2vxDdQzgDXLWap1WtY4TWc0t3nv6maBJZl-6v4NkNJZR5ocFLPKPI0FlMAcJNOGEFPVZYW8wDy5MaAESqoirVkJYglngJvK6MpU/s1600/IMG_1373.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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At the top of the steps we have my bookshelf. I got the stars in the Target dollar section last year. There is a stained glass manger at the top. It's not styled very well otherwise but it's the only place I have for books so they all just get shoved in there.</div>
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These are paper mold my mom made a LONG time ago and hand painted. Not sure why/when they got framed but she had the in the pitch pile and I took them home. I especially love that my mom made them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKyoXV4X_-TZ6UusFgFaKQVNKTYCT9Js4dwGCY8v-YM6XR39wifvgfps3XoIbMC64BxgRm4BClB81-GL5sQrB0S6D8GodxZIlpiCZd4xoL_0833xtnUJ0IfLygUXtScn2Gseg6HoTUaw/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKyoXV4X_-TZ6UusFgFaKQVNKTYCT9Js4dwGCY8v-YM6XR39wifvgfps3XoIbMC64BxgRm4BClB81-GL5sQrB0S6D8GodxZIlpiCZd4xoL_0833xtnUJ0IfLygUXtScn2Gseg6HoTUaw/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally, my crowning glory is my picture wall hung at the staircase. When we bought this house I knew what I'd do here. You can see it from the foyer and in the upstairs hall. I need to get a post on how I arranged this sometime. Not much Christmas here except for my small painted canvas art.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUhApl_lyp4WjDtOuVhpl9fLQJPz3V9FvkB_xivxmcqUT4CD_lHnwLt4uG760U7n0XqnBQTrqxLUZDv_vY77vxO_qj2hI9UcDB5jieVpoBKW8U8jJ2gEkpXLKb4r-gy016OJGDrhlzsI/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUhApl_lyp4WjDtOuVhpl9fLQJPz3V9FvkB_xivxmcqUT4CD_lHnwLt4uG760U7n0XqnBQTrqxLUZDv_vY77vxO_qj2hI9UcDB5jieVpoBKW8U8jJ2gEkpXLKb4r-gy016OJGDrhlzsI/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's my favorite. I bought a ten pack of these mini (4x6?) canvases from Michaels and super glued picture hangers on the back. Then I bought some cheapo paint and hand painted some snowflakes. I love the simplicity of this one. Usually other canvases hang here in their place. You'll have to wait and see what when I do that post.</div>
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Well there you have it. Nothing overly spectacular but it's simple and sweet. And for our small house it's enough. I probably didn't even use half the decoration I own. </div>
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<strong>Do you have a Christmas theme going on it your house or do you have odds and ends from your parents too?</strong></div>
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Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1674820529568333998.post-75415910151294113942012-12-10T07:39:00.005-08:002012-12-10T07:39:57.337-08:00Gift Wrapping Fun (Part 2)Told ya I'd be back with more gift wrapping! <br />
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Do you have a large family, or lots of people to buy a simple gift for? The neighbors, church friends, teachers? I have a large extended family and when Christmas time rolls around I'm always looking for a simple gifts to hand out to everyone. My main goal is to keep it simple and relatively cheap. I'm always on the hunt for a deal when it comes to these gifts but I want something that can be realistically used and unique. Not just another dish towel or winter accessory.<br />
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Last year, my first year as a married 'adult' in my family, I wanted to start this gift giving. The Christmas prior I found some snowmen candle holders on clearance at Bed, Bath and Beyond and scooped a bunch up. So many in fact that I had 3 left. Two are going to people on the other side of my family and one (that had broken its eyes off) has joined my Christmas decor (seen <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1674820529568333998#editor/target=post;postID=7374040878057681934" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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This year during cyber Monday (more like cyber week, man retail is getting crazy) I got a BOGO deal on Bath and Body Works hand soap. The holiday <strike>flavors</strike> scents seemed perfect too! I got <a href="http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=vanilla%20bean&origkw=vanilla+bean&sr=1" target="_blank">Vanilla Bean</a> and <a href="http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=winter%20candy%20apple&origkw=candy+apple&sr=1" target="_blank">Candy Apple</a>. One in each scent of each type of their hand soap.<br />
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I already knew how I'd make the overall gift a bit fancier too. I'd had my eye on some laser cut wooden ornaments from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TimberGreenWoods?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">Timber Green Woods</a> on ETSY. These things are BEAUTIFUL! Even more so in person. I got these <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/63726181/mini-wooden-snowflake-ornament-gift-box" target="_blank">ones.</a> I must admit though that their tiny size surprised me. I'm an engineer so I know what 1.5" is but the picture made them look ALOT bigger. None the less, they were actually the perfect size to pair with the hand soaps. I'm even thinking of how to use the leftovers in my holiday decor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYYwVsvtrCoX19PBT0HiDydznA-G_ybA6uf_Tiu3ptvXQ66OMv69lW0pvlCV1_wBoVcoyOGZN9CfVPdQxwq80Y8l5CXhBplxR8b2xRcMlErR5b0Qt5w2KtUwSXNvziCDzBd4Uz9LbElY/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYYwVsvtrCoX19PBT0HiDydznA-G_ybA6uf_Tiu3ptvXQ66OMv69lW0pvlCV1_wBoVcoyOGZN9CfVPdQxwq80Y8l5CXhBplxR8b2xRcMlErR5b0Qt5w2KtUwSXNvziCDzBd4Uz9LbElY/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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See? Beautiful, right?</div>
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I had saved some 'strings' from the burlap I used under my Thanksgiving tablecloth last year, so it was perfect to tie these little rustic ornaments to the soap and gift wrap them up. I wrapped the hand soap in a Christmas baggy then tied it with ribbon and added on the ornament at the end. Since these are a generic gift for various people in my family, no name tags are needed!</div>
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The best part really is that each of these were under $10. The wooden ornaments just add that something extra to make them special. At least I think so.</div>
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One of my kittens was not being helpful during the ornaments trying process and decided instead he would swat at the strings, so he went to kitty jail while I finished up. Poor boy, I love him.</div>
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That's all I've got for the episode of Gift Wrapping. One more to come as I show off some cute baby girl clothes and fun ideas on wrapping gifts for kids.</div>
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<strong>Are you dying to go buy those ornaments now?</strong></div>
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<em>PS: I wasn't pair or perked to mention anything I bought above. I just have always loved Bath and Body Works and now love Timber Green Woods.</em></div>
Rebecca W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05236174246800949614noreply@blogger.com0