Summer Time!

Yes indeed. I got out the blocks again. I don't regret it one bit!

TMJ pinned this:

From A Diamond in the Stuff. It made me feel inspired again. I had literally gone to AC Moore (a craft store) and capitalized on a sale just a few days prior to this pin. I just happened to have purchased some cute, summery scrapbook paper. So when I saw this all I had to do was cut the paper and the letters. I only have 4 Cricut Cartridges so you'll start to recognize my font choices. This particular font was also used for Valentine's Day.

I grabbed these two buckets that I picked up at Target around Easter for $2 each. (I hate lining up so many prepositional phrases. It throws off my groove!)*

Anywho. I gave our beloved lowboy a summer flair. I attacked the top of the entertainment center too but that will have to wait for another post!

St. Patrick's Day Blocks

Valentine's Day Blocks

Introduction to the Blocks

*Because I am still a teacher at heart I will clarify the prepositional phrases. 

I grabbed these two buckets that I picked up at Target around Easter for $2 each. 

#1- at Target

#2- around Easter

#3- for $2 each

Healthy Living: In the Beginning

Since Kelly posted about her weight loss journey I have been thinking about my own.
I am 5'2" and as of March 2010 I weighed 190lbs, I was creeping into a size 18W, and I looked like this:

• Since my car accident in 2009 I have had fairly constant knee pain. In 2010 my knee hurt ALL THE TIME. 
• I didn't buy cute clothes because I never felt cute anyway. 
• I considered myself the "fat girl" in my group of friends. 
• I had been unemployed for about 7 months (mostly due to physical recovery from my accident.) I realized that all those years that I was working I told myself that I would work out if I were at home all the time. I felt ashamed that I had no job, no excuse, and no self-esteem.

I started a diet plan with my doctor and then I got into the gym. By the end of March I had lost 12 lbs.
In April I dropped 8 more.
So by the time this picture was taken I was down to 170.

I kept losing at a pace of 5-7 lbs a month until I had reached 140. A total loss of 50lbs!! Plus, I was between a size 8 and a 6. I started to LOVE shopping for clothes.

Then...winter hit. It got so cold. I didn't want to walk down to the gym. The temperature in the gym was so warm that I didn't know how to dress to get down there. Then...the holidays hit. I ate treats. I spent time with my friends and family. I still didn't go to the gym.

I signed up for the Susan G. Komen 5k in the hopes that the pressure would motivate me to train. It did, but it didn't. I still found excuses. I trained for just a week before the race. I finished it, in under an hour too, but man did my body resent me.

Now here I am, July of 2011. I have put 8-10 lbs back on (depends on the day). More than the weight gain that I see on the scale, I see it on my body. All my pretty new clothes are fitting snugly in all the wrong areas. I quickly found that I started labeling myself as "fat" again. Instead of being size 6-8 I am 8-10. I really thought that there would be no way that I would fall back into my old habits.

So, here I am blogging about it for the world. You might not ever know how hard it was for me to admit to the 190.

Now that I have admitted my shortcomings, here are the positive changes I have made:
1. I walked a lot more thanks to having family in town. Playing tourist is D.C. is a work out.
2. I have a ton more water. I have tried to cut back on the Coke.
3. I started a pin board in Pinterest called Weight Loss.

Linking up with: Happy Healthy Me

SICK

I have strep! It's awful. I can't even whine about it because it hurts to whine!

I'll be back soon. Before I was viciously attacked by illness I managed to get a little crafty. I can't type coherently though. I think my backspace key is getting worn down. Now I'm rambling...

Hair Supply Organizer

Hiya friends! In case you missed it, I guest posted at Someday Crafts last week. Here is my post, uncut, just the way it appeared on her blog! ('Cause I'm lazy and stuff!!)

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Hello to all you Someday Crafts readers. Miss Michelle yet? Yeah, me too. I'm Jenny from An Apple for the Crafter, and that sweet hunk of man in the picture with me is my husband, Chance. He is my biggest supporter and generally the talent behind any great photos you'll see on my blog. 

I'm honored to be here guest posting while Michelle adjusts to life with another beautiful baby. 

I'm relatively new to the craft blogging world, but I'm willing to shake off the nerves because I am beyond excited to share my most recent project with all of you.

I should start by saying that I live in an apartment, so storage is always an issue. However, right now my husband's best friend, Bryan, is living with us so space is even more tight. It turns out that sometimes we need a little extra motivation to unleash our true organizational powers! 

I don't want to keep you in suspense. Here is a peek of the finished product. I turned a handbag organizer into a personalized hair supply caddy with a little love and a lot of glue.

Our bathroom has no drawers and virtually no counter space. I started styling my hair in our guest bedroom because I have a sewing table, a mirror, and an outlet all within easy access. (Did you just find yourself saying, "Outlet?" Yes. My master bedroom has one outlet. ONE! And it's behind our bed! It's a nightmare. So the easily accessible outlet in the guest room just calls to me like a Siren. Anyway...)When Bryan moved in I threw all my hair stuff into a magazine organizer and moved it into my room. That storage "solution" wasn't going to work for very long and I knew it. 

I started surfing around Target.com in their organizational section. I didn't filter my search because I didn't actually know what I was looking for. I stumbled up this handbag organizer and the wheels started turning. I could envision my blow dryer resting comfortably in one of the pouches just like a handbag would. So I bought this organizer for $12.99. 

When it arrived I got out all my hair stuff and went to work. The bottom pouch stayed exactly as it came.

 The next pouch needed to hold tall items like hair spray, so I turned it into a pocket by trimming the excess plastic and gluing the edges up with my trusty E-6000. 

The next section became the space for my curling iron and straightener. I stuck my curling iron in the pouch to see how much room I would need and then I just glued straight across. I did the same with the straightener.

Once I was at the top of that section I trimmed the excess plastic and glued up the little flap that remained. This created a tiny pocket that I am now using to store hair clips.

The final pouch got divided into three pockets. One large pocket to hold all my hair ties, and then two small pockets for bobby pins and barrettes.

I still use claws when I am curling or straightening my hair, so all those got stuck around the sides. I added a black flower barrette to the top because it is cute and it deserved a little display. :) This whole unit comes on a very sturdy hanger since it is intended for the closet. I bought an over-the-door hook so it easily hangs on the back of the bedroom or bathroom door. 

Since this is clear and very inexpensive, I think this could work for a variety of different storage conundrums. Plus, I still have all four pouches on the back in case I change my mind! 

I really appreciate the opportunity to guest post here today. I hope that my hair-brained (ha, unintentional pun!) idea helps you find an unconventional way to streamline your home. 

Here are a couple other things I have done around the house that I particularly enjoy:

My theory behind guest room ambiance:

Look down at your purse. Now back to me. Back to your purse. Now back to ME.

Need more organizational tips? Check out my very thrifty purse saving solutions:

Knock Off 4th of July Decor:

Can't wait to see you! 

at

Healthy Living Link Party

Well, hello all. Sorry I have been so absent as of late. My life has been crazy busy and NO crafting has happened. I promise that is about to change. I got a huge bolt of inspiration from (where else?) Pinterest! So within the next week or so you should see some fun projects coming up, including the return of my favorite holiday blocks. Are you just dying to know? Is the suspense killing you?

Well, I'll provide you with a little bit of life support to tide you over.
Kelly, at Running with Glitter will be starting a Healthy Living Link Party. She has spent the last year losing 90 pounds! Amazing right? Well, like me she has felt a few of those pounds creep back on. She is doing the Link party as a way to help us all share information and motivate one another to living healthier lives. Kelly is one of my favorite bloggers and I plan to participate in this party. I want to hit my goal weight, which is 25-30 lbs away.

So check out Kelly's blog and join the fun!

In case you were wondering: I have not been asked to advertise for this blog or party. I just felt so inspired that I had to share!!

Guesting Game

I am thrilled, THRILLED I tell you. Why? Oh, nothing much...I'm just guest posting at

today! Yeah, that's right. Someday Crafts!

I absolutely love this blog! Michelle, the author, just had a beautiful baby and she selected me as a guest poster.

I had intended to beef up my blog with more posts in anticipation of this totally exciting turn of events, but I put way too much pressure on myself. I think part of the reason I reached this mental block is because I don't have a house to fix up. I can't really change out light fixtures and redo the bathroom. So all of my craftiness is limited to actual crafts.With the loss of my workroom I have been in a total slump.

But trust me, the post for Someday Crafts is, in my humble opinion, one of my best projects to date.
I figured out a way to make a Hair Supply Organizer out of this...

Don't miss it!