Friday, April 4, 2014

Color Series: Yellow

 

 

Yellow, the color of the sun. The wonderful sun we are finally starting to see in the Pacific Northwest, you see it has been hiding all winter! What better way to celebrate Spring and the sun by sharing some very cool yellow spaces.

 

A Tower House That Leads to the Treetops in architecture  Category

Design Milk

 

Lonny

 

Sarah M Dorsey Designs

 

Elle Decoration

 

80s-yellow-door.jpg

Style At Home

 

Lonny

 

Desire to Inspire

Arch Daily

Hope the yellow designs brightened your day Smile

Monday, March 31, 2014

Spring Cleaning

 

This weekend I was finally home and had the urge to do some cleaning. The house has been a mess lately! I did get a lot of inspiration from the recent posts by I heart Organizing and her clean home challenge. All month Jen has been posting cleaning tasks in the goal of having a cleaner more organized home in less time. I love that her cleaning methods are green. I have personally found that the common toxic formulas like 409 and Windex really bother me. I have started using Seventh Generation disinfecting multi purpose spray and I also use the method glass cleaner. I am in the process of purging most of my other cleaning items. I love that Jen uses just a few basic things to create her cleaners, makes everything simple!

These were some of my favorite posts Jen put up: Make your own natural cleaners, cleaning oven, cleaning windows with DIY spray, vacuum mattress, and wipe down trims and doors. I made the super easy baking soda and essential oil mix for sprinkling on your mattress and vacuuming up and it smells so good! I have been using baking soda and vinegar for awhile as they are great multi purpose cleaning products that are cheap and natural! I have loved the results. Here you can see the many uses of vinegar and baking soda uses.

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                           Here are some of my environmentally friendly cleaning products

Of course I checked some things off my weekly cleaning checklist but I also did some other things.  I cleaned out my toaster oven which was really dirty! I could not get the stuck on gunk off the inside of the glass, until I did a google search and found to make a paste using baking soda and water, apply it and let it sit for a bit and wipe it off. It worked like magic! Sorry I don’t remember the specific link or I would share it.I attempted to get the toaster oven pan clean as well as the stove pans clean, but just could not get all the gunk off. Any tips?

I was disgusted when I saw all the crumbs, sprinkles, macaroni etc. hiding under the toaster oven and microwave! Eww. I took everything off the counter and gave it a deep clean. This area often gets neglected but it is a great hiding place for crumbs. I also took this opportunity to rearrange the counters a bit. I actually have a decent size kitchen for an apartment, but of course I still don’t have enough room for all my things!

Check out an old post I have for deep cleaning, showing how to clean the microwave, dish washer, washing machine and sink disposal. I try hard to be a better cleaner and have come along ways from my college days! I’m still learning! What are your favorite cleaning methods?

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Swoon worthy closets

 

As spring is just around the corner, it’s time for many of us to switch out our wardrobes for the lighter and brighter pieces. That is unless you are luck enough to have one of these amazing closets below Oh I dream of the day of having a walk in closet. That sounds so heavenly. Currently my guy and I share a standard size closet and boy is that tough! Below these photos check out some of my tips on keeping your closet organized.

 

Apartment Therapy

 

Walk in closets 13 33 Exceptional Walk In Closets To Accentuate Your Fashion Collections

Fresh Home

Hall-closet.jpg

Style At Home

Alias Vaughn

 

Made by Girl

 

My House my Home

 

Diane Bergeron Interiors - closets - walk in closet, closet island, closet chandelier, feather drum pendant, white feather drum pendant, white chandelier, feather chandelier, white feather chandelier, lacquered closet island, closet island with glass top, well organized closet, organized closet, luxurious closets, goose feather chandelier, goose quill feather chandelier, shelves for shoes, shoe shelves, closet mirror, built in mirror,

Decor Pad

 

Merricksart

 

Organization Tips

Buy a scarf hanger ( I have this one below)

Elle Decor

Use these super slim hangers (similar), I promise they have made a huge difference in how much I can fit in my closet and the velvety material on the hangers keeps your clothes from slipping off. I have bought packs of 50 at Costco and also packs at Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods type of discount stores for reasonable prices.

Inspired Wives

 

A system to organize your shoes according to the space you have, I use this shoe rack and we also have a shoe rack in our entrance. It’s still not enough though! I also have my flip flops and sandals contained in a basket.

household-essentials-revolving-shoe-rack

Storables

 

A system to organize your bags and purses. Since I am so tight on space, I currently am using my Thirty One large utility bag and within that I hold all my purses, backpacks, and other bags. Nothing fancy but it works for the space I have.

 

The Home School Scientist

 

Invest in under the bed storage plastic containers to keep items you don’t use often or out of season items out of the way. You can also use these with the space storage bags, which really work to flatten out your items and make things smaller.

 

 

Get some skirt/pant hangers to help save space

 

A belt holder will keep all your belts organized and easy to get to

Walnut 12-Belt Hardwood Hanger

 

I hope these tips helped you to keep your closet as organized as possible. I have found that every closet is different and you have to figure out what works for you. You will notice many of the beautiful closets you see show a few shirts and a few pants hanging in the closet, but that isn’t reality. Most people have many more clothing items then that, so find what works for you and for your closet. I would love to hear your stories and photos on what you do to keep your closet organized.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Recipe Review: Breakfast Bacon Egg Cups

 

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After seeing these yummy egg cups on pinterest I had to try them! They are super easy to make.

 

Ingredients:

Eggs

Spices and seasonings (I used seasoned pepper and garlic salt)

Bacon

Shredded Cheese

A muffin tin (not that this is an ingredient!)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In your muffin/cupcake tin wrap the bacon around the circular edge

3. Wisk together 1 egg for each tin and add your seasoning. I added a splash of almond milk but I think this might have made it too runny there it got messy in the tin.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the bacon wrapped tin

5. Top with shredded cheese

6. Repeat in each tin for the number you want to make. The nice thing about this is you can make 2 or 3 for yourself or a whole tin for a larger group.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes

8. Let cool and pop the bacon egg muffins out and onto your plate.

9. Enjoy!

 

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Friday, February 7, 2014

Color Series: Pink

 

In the spirit of Valentines day we must celebrate pink and red! I already posted some fun spaces done with red. In case you missed it, check it out here. I have always loved pink but in order to successfully use it in spaces, you must use it sparingly or be okay with a super girly room. In other words I don’t know if your husband will be thrilled with a super pink living room.

 

Caitlin Wilson- love her! 

 

Blossoms and Bliss

 

polkadotroom

A Thoughtful Place

 

Ava main.jpg

Apartment Therapy

 

Houzz

 

The Aestate

 

pink-carerra4

This is Glamorous

 

boudoir-HIGH.jpg

Style at Home

 

Three-Way Mirrors

Better Homes and Garden

 

Design Sponge

 

Casa Sugar

 

Pink and White Bathroom. I LOVE THIS!!!!

Unfortunately the original link is not working. Does anyone know the original source of this photo?

 

Hope this gives you guys some inspiration if you have been wanting to dabble with pink in your home! Now I’m going to go play in the snow!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tone it up

So I will admit it, I’m really bad about working out on a regular basis. I know I need to do it more often and that it makes me feel better, but I have the worst self control. My lazy butt always says ugh I don’t feel like it, I’ll work out tomorrow. Clearly that gets me no where. The last few weeks I have been trying to get in a schedule of working out and I am absolutely loving the workouts from Tone it up. There are lots of free videos on their website and on Youtube. Currently they are doing the love your body series until Valentines day. The toning videos are tough but they really work and are pretty short so you can’t make up the excuse you don’t have time. You also should be running or doing some sort of cardio, which I have not been doing. I have a great running trail right by my house but it’s dark before I go to work and after I come home, so I just need to start doing some cardio at the gym.  I’m warning you though, the men in your life will be drooling over the cute girls Katrina and Karena in he videos. They also just started airing the show Toned Up on Bravo which is a hilarious behind the scenes look of what they do on a daily bases. Watching the show made me love these girls even more as they are just so goofy and their quirky personality truly shows. So in case you are having a hard time getting motivated to keep your new year resolutions, check out these videos and get toned up!



Sunday, January 19, 2014

Target Home Deals



I was at Target a few weeks ago just perusing the aisles like I love to do and oh my goodness they have some great pieces for your home at amazing prices! I couldn’t believe how good these pieces looked and they were matched with a low target price! Most the cool pieces I saw were small furniture pieces but we are maxed out on our space or I would be picking some of these beauties up! Keep on eye on Targets great home collections when you stop in the store or online.

Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold ottoman $39.99 link not available
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold side table, link not available
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold Ottoman on sale $50.99 online
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold upholstered grey ottoman, link not available, $34.99
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold accent chairs $34.99 (yes I’m serious!), link not available
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Room Essentials concrete lamp with teal accent $14.99-22.99 base. shade separate
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Room Essentials dipped cement lamp base $21.99-29.99
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold end table, link not available

Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold tufted ottoman on sale $62.99 online
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold tufted bench on sale for $89.99 online
Peterson's Perspective: Target Home Deals
Threshold green vase $14.99-34.99
I hope this gives you all some inspiration that you can get amazing designs for great prices! Where are your favorite places to shop for pieces for your home on a budget?

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Crafting

 

I'm having fun working on a button crafting project! Can't wait to show you guys in a few weeks! Look at all these cute pink buttons I got! Stay tuned for the post showing what I made.

I'm happy to now have a pin it button showing on all my images. Hover over the top left side of the picture and you can easily pin it. As many of you know I love Pinterest for everything from recipes to inspiration for interiors. If you aren't already following me on Pinterest, you can follow me here! I'm warning you though, I have a lot of pins! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend, I've been pretty lazy today!

Friday, January 3, 2014

Recipe Review: Pomegranate Mojito


Peterson's Perspective Recipe Review: Pomegranate Mojito
A new favorite drink of mine is the pomegranate mojito. I enjoyed making these for some friends over New Years Eve. I started with this recipe and then adapted it to my taste. I cut the sugar in half and it is still plenty sweet for me. Sometimes I add a few more mint leaves or more club soda. You will figure out what you like! Here is my modified recipe:

1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
12 mint leaves
6 tablespoons white rum
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup club soda

In a tall glass place the sugar, fresh squeezed lime juice and the mint leaves in the bottom. Use a muddler to mash up the mixture to release the flavors of the mint. Add the rum and pomegranate juice. I just used the bottled POM juice for mine. Fill the glass with lots of ice so you can keep this drink nice and cold. Top with club soda, I normally don’t measure this out and just do a little bit to fill it to the brim. Finish with a stir of the straw and sip away.

For those who don’t like pomegranate juice, omit the juice but add a bit more sugar, up to an extra half of a tablespoon, depending on your preference.

Peterson's Perspective Recipe Review: Pomegranate Mojito