Choose Strength!

I just came across this quote and needed to share it with you.  This will be my 2014 theme!

Sleep Masks to Keep Them Busy

From my latest facebook feed, it looks like a lot of kiddos are home from school again today due to the frigid temps around the country.  I'm sure they're (and parents) are starting to go a little bonkers.  I ran across this cute tutorial from the blog MandyLynne.com.  This might keep them busy for a short while.  (Every minute counts, right?)

No time like the present.

What are you going to get started this weekend?  If you've got 30 minutes, you've got time to start, no excuses.

A tasty morsel to muse over.

In the middle of winter when the earth can look gray and drab, it's good to feel like this quote from the philosopher Albert Camus.  Repeat after me: You are more than the weather, embrace your internal summer.

Country Chic Crate

I came across this picture on pinterest this weekend and I'm obsessed.  Our house has a very cottage-y feel to it.  I love combining old with new and this would fit right in.  I love the pop of color, I think I'll be choosing a canary yellow or poppy orange to paint the edge of my crate.  Looks like I'll be going to thrift stores next weekend to find a "new" end table.

DIY Room Deodorizer

I really dislike any kind of fragrance plug-in.  Candles are my favorite to make a room smell yummy, that and open windows and fresh cut lawn, but sometimes that's not available.

I found this super easy tutorial on Pinterest to make your own room deodorizer.  Of course the pictures on pinterest look much cuter than mine, they would choose cute printed paper or fabric as the cover and had the ring for the canning jar to hold it on, but I couldn't find either of those things in my house, so I made due with parchment paper and a rubberband (classy, I know ;)

What you need:
jar
1/2 cup baking soda
8-12 dr0ps of oil (I used just lavender in mine, but I'm thinking of adding some mint and vanilla to my next one)
a cover (fabric, paper, tin foil)
nail or sewing needle to poke holes in the top

If you need to activate the smell again, just shake the jar a bit.

Here's how mind turned out (and it made the bedroom smell lovely):

Make Your Own Printed Fabric

I love this idea.  I've been getting antsy to change the color in my living room now that the holidays are over.  All the decorations have come down and I want to change my white and green theme to white and blue.  This idea for hand-printed fabric has given me the idea to add a little blue to some couch pillows, such an easy way to update color.

This idea comes from the blog, Lime Riot.  All you need is fabric, in this case she used linen, fabric paint and a toilet paper roll.  Click here for the full instructions.

Start when you're not ready

I love this.  Actually my acting coach gives this instruction to many of us before we do a scene, "start when you're not ready, you'll surprise yourself." 

It being the beginning of 2014, we have no more excuses, suck it up, be brave and jump.  "Now is as good a time as any."

Magical Butterflies

Holy smokes, I found this DIY on Pinterest yesterday and it's been repinned about 20 times so far.  I had to share.  This would be a fun weekend project with the kids.  I may try it with circles, so I can have a polka dot filled jar and then don't have to cut out those butterflies, ha!  From the blog, Repiny.