The 2014 Line-up: Storage that works

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Leah Poarch

If I could give my house one goal for 2014 it would be storage that works. I’m excellent at purging a space and organizing everything for a pretty reveal but keeping it that way is another story all together.

I always feel like there is ample room to grow and adjust in any given space but then one day I look up and realize that I was completely wrong and all my efforts have turned into a stash worthy of hoarder status.

Can I get an amen??

So here it is, the proverbial new year’s list of goals/incentives/points of stress/accomplishments or whatever you want to call it. Either way, I’m writing it down which for me means that I will actually work towards accomplishing it.

usable storage for my kitchen, including but not limited to cabinets and drawers
this will likely be a part of a larger kitchen reno, but more on that later

usable storage in the craft/sewing room

portable storage for the hall closet
usable storage for my shoes and occasional items like sweaters, shorts, etc.

last but not least, paint the freaking living room. I almost pulled the trigger on this project before the holidays but I realized I had just enough time to either paint or put up the Christmas decorations. I chose decorations. More on that later as well.

So what are your goals for 2014?

Happy New Year’s my friends!

Let it Snow

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Leah Poarch

Happy Friday everyone! We had a great Christmas celebrating with both Phillip’s family and my family. How was your Christmas?

With just days to spare, I finally managed to get one new Christmas project done. Similar to last year, I created another faux mantel of sorts by hanging sticks above my entryway bar, this time spelling out Let it Snow!For all the details on creating and hanging my last faux mantle, visit the post here.

I started with sticks from my yard again and then cut them to size and scoped out my letters.

Using my hot glue gun, I glued each letter (and snowflake) together.

These twigs also got a good coating of glue but this time I used equal parts of glue and water to make it easier to apply. Once the glue was brushed on, each letter got a generous sprinkling of Epsom salt and was then left to dry.

The letters were hung with fishing line and attached to the ceiling with clear thumb tacks.I also glued a few of the letters together to keep them facing forward.

A few birds were added and the faux mantle was done for this year!

Bu-bu bu-bu Bubblin!

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Leah Poarch

Are you guys ready for Christmas?? I think it’s safe to say that I am not. . . I still have presents to make, in addition to wrapping. . . forget about decor because I still haven’t started on the cleaning that needs to be done before guests arrive!

I did manage to get 1 quick project in last weekend though. I’ve been working on our guest bathroom for some time and have been dreaming of ways to hang ‘bubbles’ above the shower.

I’ve been eyeing clear, plastic Christmas ornaments for about a year now but I never ran across any that were reasonably priced. A few weeks ago I just happened to be in Walmart and they had some for just $.88! They even come in 2 sizes!

To make your own ‘bubbles’ here’s what you’ll need:

clear, plastic Christmas ornaments
fishing line
clear thumb tacks
scissors

Start by taking off the ‘top’ of each ornament. . .
. . .and remove the ‘cap’ so that you just have the hanger left..

Now you’re ornament, looks more like a bubble!
Using a long piece of fishing line, loop the line through each of the hangers.

Oooooohhhh pretty.

Using your clear thumb tacks, hang each bubble above your shower at varying heights.*Hint* Putting your step ladder actually in your shower makes this task a lot easier!

Hang a few ornaments and it’ll start to take shape!
In order to vary the heights, you might have some extra fishing line. No problem, just trim it off when you’re done.

I hung 7 ornaments total but I think I’ll look for a few more small ones to balance it out.
I know this is risky to say, but my Under the Sea bathroom might actually be finished!

Party Stash: Santa Beard Tutorial

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Leah Poarch

As I mentioned earlier this week, I made a few Santa beards for mom’s annual Christmas card and today I’m back with the quick and easy tutorial!

Here’s what you’ll need:

beards shapes cut from cardstock (more on that in a minute)
popsicle sticks
cotton balls – about 200 for 8 beards
school glue
hot glue

I started by purchasing a beard shape from the Silhouette store and cutting 8 beards with my Cameo. They we’re approximately 6″x6″.

To assemble the beards, put a generous amount of glue on one side of each cut-out. . .
. . .and start stacking cotton balls. I found the best finished beard was produced when I started with 5 cotton balls across the mustache. Then outlined the edge of the beard and then the mouth.Finish by filling in the center for a full, fluffy beard!

Once the glue is dry, use your hot glue gun to attach a popsicle stick to the back.

My sticks were a little weak so I decided to use 2 per beard.

I loved the finished product and they looked great in our Christmas card photos!

Christmas Card Photos

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Leah Poarch

Over Thanksgiving all of my siblings were home which is becoming a rare occasion so for the fist time in a long time, we took photos for mom’s Christmas card with whole family!I made some simple Santa beards for our ‘funny’ pictures and they turned out great! Don’t worry, a tutorial is coming your way later this week.

This is my favorite.

We also took a few sibling pics just for fun.

And a few of Phillip and me.

Ho, ho ho! Merry Christmas!

Party Stash: DIY Road Sign

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Leah Poarch

Any time I throw a party, I’m always looking for something to make that event a unique affair without spending a ton of money. For my brother’s wedding shower I created this custom road sign for a grand total of. . . (wait for it) $1!Here’s how you can make your own!

Gather your supplies:

old road sign – we all have them, stashed in our garage from an election or school event
2 poster boards (I chose white) – $1
spray adhesive
box cutter or exacto knife
spray paint of your choice (optional)
sharpie

Lay your existing sign on top of 1 piece of poster board.

Using your knife, cut around the edge.

Spray the sign with adhesive and then very carefully attach your posterboard. You’ll probably on get one shot so make it count!

Now flip the sign over and repeat this process for the other side.

Now you have a beautiful blank slate!

I chose to add a little color to the corners of my sign so I taped off a strip and gave it a few coats of spray paint.

Once the green was dry, I taped of the corner and painted it gold.

You’re almost done, now take your sharpie and add your lettering of choice.

All done! Stick it in the yard and guests are sure to feel welcome!

Party Stash: Custom Display Cards

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Leah Poarch

With the holidays just around the corner, I am amping up my party stash. What’s a party stash you ask?? It’s the collection of all things awesome that lives hidden deep within my craft room which I use for decor, parties or other celebrations. (Or, as my brother would say: crap.)

A few years ago I made these DIY Place Card Holders which I use all. the. time. Decorating, holidays, parties, baby showers, wedding showers, etc. I typically just use a small piece of cardstock but I thought some new cards were in order for the recent shower that I threw for my brother and sister-in-law.I purchased a few arrows from the Silhouette Studio store and chose a few other embellishments then printed them on some thick gold wrapping paper I had in my stash.