Closet makeover

Coming to you from Pullman

I read Real Simple this morning while I was waiting for my snow tires to get taken off (also had regular tires put back on in case you were wondering).  There was a space makeover article and it was just the push I needed to finally get going on my closet.  3 main problems that I have with the closet: 1) it was sagging in the middle...a lot.  I was worried that the whole thing was going to collapse.  My closet in Portland collapsed once when I was younger - it was loud, scary, and very messy.  I didn't want that to happen again.  2) I only had one shelf - I can only stack boxes so high. 3) where could I put all my shoes!!??  So, first things first - the most important thing was to stabilize the middle of my closet so that it would not sag and I could put as many clothes on it as I wanted.  (yeah, this is what I did with my first day of vacation since 4th year started).

Look how it was "stabilized" in the middle.  What were they thinking in the 60's???

New hard core shelf support.

New hard core rod and rod holders.

equals stabilized.  The next thing was to add an extra shelf to get some more storage. 

Double Decker storage - see my "hat person" hats!  probably will need more than 2 hats to become a hat person.

Finally, time to upgrade the shoe storage situation.

Before and after shots shots of the left side of the closet.  Please note the efficient shoe storage, the shirts arranged by color, the boxes looking nice and organized up above, and you can even see the "I want to believe poster" in the corner there. (secrets: boots that are out of season are stashed behind the shoe cubby and will reappear when fall rolls around and baseball hats that I rarely wear and hanging behind the hanging shoe cubby). 

Before and after shots of the right side of the closet.  Please take note of the absence of cluttered pile of shoes, the dresses arranged by color, and my special plastic drawers that will hold only clothes that are appropriate for clinics so that I don't have to search through everything to get ready in the morning.

Things I had to buy: a variety of screws, one closet bracket, 4 shelf brackets, one stud finder, one 6 foot shelf, one 6 foot curtain rod, set of heavy duty closet rod hangers, 2 hanging shoe holders, 1 shoe cubby.  Home supplies from Pullman Building supply and ACE hardware - thank you ACE hardware workers for helping me every time I came in (I think 4 times).  Both the shoe holders are from Walmart (I have Walmart shame...it's similar to Kardashian shame). 
one thing you really need to do projects like this is a drill.  you don't need a saw!  most home supply stores will cut things to size for a small fee.

Things I got rid of: a couple of old posters from undergrad that were stuffed in the back, so not really anything.  I was just organizing, but that doesn't mean I'm not still a hoarder.

I'm just glad my closet isn't going to collapse any day soon.

A list makers dream come true

coming to you from pullman

Do you like to make lists?  My life practically revolves around it.  Most aspects of my life could be traced back to a list...things to do today, things to do this weekend, things to do this semester, things to do this year, goals this year, favorite things, favorite songs, songs i want played at my wedding ceremony (hypothetical wedding of course), books i want to read, movies i want to watch, things i want for my birthday, things i want to blog about...i think you get the idea.  it's out of control.  maybe it's how "P" people make sense of the world, although i know that "J" people tend towards lists too - perhaps it is the one thing that transcends the "J/P" dichotomy, something we can bond over, something that connects us.  (if you are starting to think that i'm speaking a different language, go here.  MBTI has given me a lot of insight into my own personality, but also how i interact with other people around me and helps me to identify the source of an interpersonal problem and seek a solution.  it's not just about knowing your "letters"...mine are INFP.  but i digress). 

Anyway, what's got me all excited about lists right now you ask?  CorkboardMe!  A fellow alumni of mine from high school, Tim, has been working on this website (i'm not sure what he does exactly...he's a programmer maybe?  yes, probably.  definitely an engineer of some kind i think.  i must work on my facebook stalking skills.  he was my drum major in marching band.  we went to band camp together.  Good times.)  so obviously we're facebook friends and i see all these status updates...Corkboard this and Corkboard that, and i finally paid attention.

Surprise!  it's a virtual corkboard where you can keep all your sticky notes.  finally.  there are lots of functions including some that i haven't quite figured out yet. 

this is a part of my corkboard.  so far, i love it!  i hope that you can find some enjoyment in it too.  go to their website to start your own.  i would recommend that you check it out and start making some lists. do it!  okay, that's all.  i know some list makers out there that are going to flip over this :)  in other news, this weekend is going to be epic ...first installment of 2012 New Years Resolution

To-Do List Champion

coming to you from pullman

this weekend feels super unproductive, because I didn't really get much studying done.  I was working diligently on my to-do list however...and watching Mad Men episodes.  I actually really like making lists and I don't really know how I would get anything done without them.  Amanda got me this amazing book to make lists in

  

I saw some other books like this at Paper Source in Portland on 23rd St (lovelovelove this store).  Those pages are from the lists "Bad things you did as a kid" and "Most memorable friends from you past."  Anyway, I was going to tell you everything that I got done on my to-do list, but when I wrote it down, the list seemed short, so I will tell you about a couple of crafty things that I did.  I made this card

Will this be my "signature"?  I'm feeling it out.

I don't find that there is any one approach to making cards.  I really just get out every single art supply that I have and hopefully something comes to me.  Things that are good to have:

• Cardstock for the actual card part
• ribbon is always good to have
• Inspiration from google searches or from cards at the store.

You just have to go for it and see what works and what doesn't.  Here are some Valentine's Day cards that I made for V-Day 2011.

 

I create a similar sized mess to when I "minibook", but since my last minibook event, I have made some changes to my art supplies organization system so that I can go from this...to this in under 5 minutes.  My paper bins are organized into scrapbooking paper pads, scrapbooking paper pre-cut into 5x7 rectangles, miscellaneous paper scraps, magazine clippings, & stickers.  I have one big bin that holds all the supplies that I use the most and a smaller bin that hold all of my stamps and ink pads.  Other bins contain miscellaneous art supplies that I do not use as often.  This has made crafting so much easier.  Someday, it would be nice to have a table set aside for projects like this so that all of my supplies were within reach and I would not have to move them around. 

 

 My other project is secret - to be revealed once this package makes its way to Amanda.  This package will be en route to the greater Seattle area starting tomorrow.

Listening to

Something Borrowed soundtrack

Life As We Know It soundtrack

Take Me Home Tonight soundtrack

Say You Like Me by We the Kings 

Watching

Psych Season 5 (season 6 premieres October 12th!)

Mad Men (I'm trying to make it to Season 4, because Matt Long is in 7 episodes.)

Bend it Like Beckham has been moved to the top of my Netflix queue, because there was a trivia question at trivia night on Tuesday about this movie, and although I got it right - and was one of the only questions we got right in that category - everyone was appalled that I hadn't seen it. 

Recipe Extravaganza

Coming to you from Portland

I decided to finally go through all of my bon appetits from the last two years and pick out my favorite recipes.  I will rarely cook something if I don't have a picture of it to be tempted by, but luckily this magazine pretty much includes a photo with every recipe.  I cut out my favorites and organized them into my recipe book.  Hopefully this will entice me to start cooking again.  I hate getting stuck in a rut and just cooking the same old stuff over again.  There are so many unique and amazing recipes out there, most of which are very simple. 

Isn't that picture on the left gorgeous! They are homemade ice cream sandwiches dipped in melted chocolate, then coated in sprinkles and crushed up candy bars. Yummm!

The recipe on the left here was featured in the restaurant issue and a Portland Restaurant called Laurelhurst Market was named in bon appetit's top 10.  It's steak with onion rings.  I'm planning on making the dish myself and then going to the restaurant and ordering it to compare.  I'm sure mine won't come close, but I'd like to try. 

I spent all day making this cake from a two page recipe in one of my magazines.  The ingredients cost me $24 which included eight sticks of butter and 32 ounces of chocolate.  I was determined to ignore the cost and avoid shortcuts so it would come out perfect.  However, I couldn't find a pasta machine at the store, which was required to make the ribbon for the top.  I thought I might be able to roll it out, but the chocolate just stuck to the wax paper I rolled it on.  Out of desperation I rolled out chunks of the chocolate and molded the ribbon with my hands.  As you can see, this compromised the aesthetic of the cake.  My mom told me it was beautiful, but once you see the picture of what it's supposed to look like it looks like a major fail.  This is the hardest recipe I have ever followed and I am determined to get it right, so I ordered a pasta machine from Target.com (they only have them online), but I got free shipping and maybe it will one day inspire me to make fresh pasta.  Another thing I would do differently is to save more of the butter cream filling from the layers to smooth out the sides of the cake.  The recipe only says to save 1/2 cup, but the cakes end up cooking with a little hump on the top, which makes the stack have huge gaps, leading to the lumpy sides on my version of the cake.  I spent about eight hours making this cake and lots of money and now most of it is sitting in the fridge, because it is so rich that we can only eat a sliver of it at a time.  Was it worth it?  The jury is still out on that one.  

sunday afternoon project - organize cards

coming to you from pullman

most of sunday was spent organizing my papers (huge stacks have accumulated), art supplies, old class notes.  this involved buying a lot of Tupperware.  one project in particular was to organize my cards.  I have lots of unused cards and think that maybe if they were organized, i would actually use them instead of running to the store every time i need a card.  i have a card for probably every occasion...just hard to find.  so, had great idea to organize them.  set up camp on my bed so that i could watch a movie at the same time. 

 the "before" picture.  drawer of cards on the left
including a "happy boss's day to the top banana,
from one of the bunch" card that i think my boss
will appreciate (boss's day observed on Oct 17th
 this year - don't forget!); supplies on the right

 addy helped throughout the entire project

 dividers cut and ready to go; my labels were: thank you,

blank, Christmas, invitations, misc. holidays, misc.,

stamps 'n things, and envelopes

some of my favorite "misc." cards were an "I will miss

you" card that never made it to it's intended recipient -

unused, but I remember who I bought it for, and an "I'm

so happy you said yes" - well, to that effect anyway, and

they actually said "no," which is why I still have the card.

 this is where addy chose to spend a large

portion of her time during the project

finished!  very pleased with the final result.

watched no strings attached while i was organizing my cards.  the second movie in my weekend movie marathon (just go with it, no strings attached, and something borrowed).  it was more rom than com.  not a waste of a dollar, or whatever they are charging at red box these days.  some of my favorite moments were when he made her a period mix, when she said he gave her premature ventricular contractions (although i think what she meant to say, was he gives her an AV block; premature ventricular contractions feel like a skipped beat, but it's actually an extra beat that is initiated in the ventricles instead of the SA node; AV block is literally your heart skipping a beat...or two.  i'm sure she wasn't being literal.  As a side note, to this aside, i am having premature ventricular contractions as i write this from having too much coffee), and when he told her she eats like a baby dinosaur.  also, kevin kline was in it, which was awesome.

happy crafting!

countdown: 4 days until fall