In which we reevaluate Donkeys...and decide they need sweaters!

     OK, I have lived most of my life unaware of how sweet and adorable donkeys are. Um, how did I not know this?!   Following a few farmy Instagram accounts has caused me to reevaluate my opinions of these sweet creatures.  They apparently are incredibly sweet and cuddly. Also can be quite territorial.  Did you know that??   See? All sorts of new things we did not know!  (If, in fact, you DID already know that, you get a gold star for the day.)

Also, raise your hand if you've ever heard the song by Lou Monte 'Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey'.  It's the hilarious cousin to 'I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas',  Both obscure animals with their own festive holiday song.  Go listen a moment, then pop on back.

I decided we need a sweatshirt featuring a cutie pie Christmas donkey wearing a festive knit sweater and hat.  It's an ugly sweater type Christmas sweater....except it isn't ugly. It's adorable: 

Adorable Christmas Donkey Crew Neck Sweatshirt.

Comes in white, black, red, green, navy, light gray, and dark gray.

And then, because I just  can't help myself, I decided we needed just regular cutie pie Christmas Donkey tshirts too. Both in Unisex fit, and Women's fit:

Unisex fit Festive Donkey Christmas T Shirt

And the Women's fit:

Women's fit Festive Christmas Donkey on VintageDutchGirl Etsy.

 

    And of course there might be adorable Festive Donkey shirts and sweatshirts for the kiddos too.  I'll pop back around soon to show you those soon. Now, the only problem that remains is naming this cutie. Any ideas? 

 

A

 

 

 

 

 

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come Free Thanksgiving Print...

There's just something about old hymns that resonate within my soul.  I think it's because I feel connected to the church of the ages, all those Christians who have gone on before us.  I think about multiple generations of my family who must have sang this hymn every Thanksgiving.

I've decided I need more hymns in my life. Not just SINGING them, but reading the rich words.

I have another printable for you! This .png printable is free for personal use only.  It is a full (no white frame edge) 8x10. Just right click, save and print.

I pray you and yours are having a wonderful Thanksgiving season!

Blessings,

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Pumpkin Madness...

After spending WAY too much money on pumpkins last fall I decided I should try to grow them myself this year.  My parents have a lot that they will be building a new house on later this year and have a huge garden and extra space.  In exchange for weeding they said I could plant pumpkin starts. Sweet!  I planted two varieties: Jack o Lantern and Pumpkin Pie.

Well:

We had PERFECT growing conditions this summer: Super warm, humid, just enough rain...and lots of fertilizer. We were so excited to see our efforts rewarded with a large amount of perfect pumpkins! It was SO fun to go and harvest a bunch of them and decorate my front porch.

Lil Chick and Mama:

Easiest way to move a large amount of small to mid size pumpkins? Tossing them :)

Yep, filled the back of the car!
 

YES we plan to carve some of the big ones in a few weeks....YES I plan to roast some of the pie pumpkins and freeze the filling (no canned pumpkin needed here!)....and YES I like my front porch looking like a pumpkin patch advertisement.
 

I think I shall make some more of those Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies I've fallen in love with and make every autumn. Recipe is HERE.

I LOVE pumpkins!
 

Happy Fall Y'all!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Aqua, Red and Yellow Dining Room...

Per the usual, I am woefully behind on blogging.

Shocking!

What can I say, we've been busy actually USING our sassy newly redecorated travel trailer, Lumi. And having a Mah-velous time! (Quick, name that movie quote!).

However, I did run across some photos I forgot to show all three of you, so hold on to your socks!

I finally got my act together oh four to six months ago and put my dining room together a bit more.

After a four year wait we were able to rid our home of the ugly baby poo dark gold on all of our walls and all of our CEILINGS. Yep, ceilings. Because some interior designer out there decided that yes, let's paint the ceilings a nice dark cave color. In a house in the Pacific NORTHWEST. Oy.

Now we have a normal nice bright white ceiling and the color match equivalent of Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage (which actually looks like a pale aqua blue). I was ITCHING for some yellow chevron curtains and after trolling my fave fabric site (fabric.com) for-evah waiting for it to be back in stock I finally got my hands on it. LOVE the pop of sunshine it brings to my oft dark and dim dining room:

I looked at the mish-mash of wall decor I had on hand and thought "hey, why not?" and closed my eyes and nailed stuff to the wall. I'm pretty thrilled with how it turned out. Eclectic? Maybe :) But it makes sense to me.

Eat Drink & Be Merry, Tomorrow we shall Diet:

Which really is there to remind me how to set a table. Because yes, I am in my third decade of life and can not for the life of me remember how to set a table.

And there's this lovely new to me black planked counter height table my gal pal Trac let me buy from her. LOVE it. It it well loved which suits my hard-on-furniture family.  Add four cherry red pleather chairs (Because I'm not stupid. REAL leather chairs for my preschoolers to destroy? No thank you.) to add some more pop of color and you have yourself a fun dining room.

Sources:

Yellow Chevron Fabric:

But act fast, as of my last check they only have 3030 yards left!

Wall color: RH Silver Sage. Or color match it like I did :)
Ceilings: BM White Dove
Blueberries sign above slider door? OOAK Ruffles & Rust Show find.
Mish-mash of wall decor: Mostly TjMaxx. Because I AM a Maxxinista.
Red Pleather Dining Chairs: Overstock.com

Cutie toddler eating her lunch? Sorry, not for sale :)

Off to eat my lunch while my kiddos are hopefully non destructive in their rooms during "quiet" time. Yep. That's in quotation marks.

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Keepin' it Real - Office Revamp...

Heyya there!

I am up to my earlobes with reorganizing/purging/cleaning/revamping our home.

We have a LOT of stuff that really does not enhance our lives. So, it's getting tossed out. Or rather, donated to our school thrift store.

Evidence of our madness:

I firmly believe in the ministry of mediocrity.

Aka: KEEPIN' IT REAL, GIRLFRIEND.

First up, home office.

My hubby does part of his office management from home and needed some more storage, filing cabinets, ya know....STUFF.

So that meant:

New furniture! YAY!

Shopped forevah and finally settled on Ballard Designs Tuscan Furniture Collection.
It FINALLY arrived, was set up, and I am slowly getting this office fully functional.

(Functional roughly translated: To have the ability to surf Pinterest at all times.)

Nah, not really (yes, really).

I've been looking (Pinterest, of course) and came up with a bunch of office organization ideas.

Our office is technically coded as a bedroom and has a nice large closet in it. Since our house has a shamefully low amount of storage we are going to maximize that closet.

One half of the closet will be for game storage. Yes....games.

Because we are nerds who have an insane amount of games that need to be stored. Carcassonne? Settlers? Dominion? With every single expansion you've ever heard of?! Yep, nerds like that.

Keepin' it real submission #2:

I tell ya, every time I try to ease a game or puzzle out of the pile three more smack me in the face. OUCH.

The other half of our office closet is for supplies and will hopefully look something like this:

Source: bhg.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Everything in its rightful place. Ah, the dream closet.

The reality:

I'll have you know I took this photo while standing on top of my large upright piano. Yep, risking my life to display my messy office. Keepin' it real.

And in closing, keepin' it real submission #4:

I'll have you know I took this photo well over a week ago...and that little orange snack bowl?

It's still there.

Like I said, keepin it REAL.

Off to sort through piles and pick up a little orange snack bowl...

Amanda- VintageDutchGirl

VintageDutchGirl is on Facebook...I chit chat over there when I'm not doing crafting to avoid my housework. C'mon over and say hi :)

January: Whew...

Once again, life got in the way of blogging! Massive January update:

We started off the year with Lance and I heading out of town to escape for a winter wonderland weekend in Winthrop, WA. Say that five times fast.

As is always the case before we head out on a vacay, I spend many hours packing the kiddos things and whisking them off to Grandmas, packing my things, packing our food, loading the car yadda yadda yadda. Of course it's all topped off with the inability to leave dirty dishes in the sink and you got yourself a tired Mama.

Seriously, I have to bleach spray my sink before I leave or I get all jittery and uneasy. Genetic predisposition maybe? Hmmm, maybe some of Grandma's Dutch deep cleaning stuck!

After our 6 hour drive, we met our Bro and Sis-in-law in Winthrop and stayed in a charming cabin overlooking the Methow River. Private hot tub on the deck, full kitchen, large cozy rooms, fireplace, and SNOW. So very wonderful!

We got a lovely first day of cross country skiing in doing a 14.5 mile loop. The first half was a hard uphill climb then you got to turn around and coast (aka, fly down the mountain praying you don't catch a ski edge and wipe out) the entire way back down to the car.

To warm up you head back to the cabin and jump into the hot tub! And because you are a smart person, keeping in mind to not drastically underestimate your core body temp and stay in so long you overheat. *Ahem*

The next day the boys decided to head out of town a mile or so up in the mountains to find better snow for sledding fun. The girls? Sleep in, watch movies, lazily drink our coffee (while sitting in the hot tub of course) then stroll through town and shop a bit.

FINALLY decide we should go see the boys and drive up there...Only to find Lance lying by the side of the road. Um. WHAT?

A rock? Oh. Where? Submerged in the snow. Oh. Lance took a direct hit to his shoulder blade? Yeesh.

Fast forward a 20 minute agonizingly bumpy drive down snowy mountain roads, 15 minutes worth of frenzied packing up the entire cabin while Lance stays in the car and moans ( we threw everything in the cars as fast as possible - really, it was quite a site to behold. If only I could pack that way), and a tense hour and a half drive to the Chelan ER where the ER nurse says:

"No, you couldn't POSSIBLY have broken your scapula, do you know how many G's of force that takes!?"

Fast forward 45 minutes:

"So, the X-ray shows you broke your right scapula."

Yep.

"So what position exactly was your arm in when you hit the rock?"

"Well, it was raised up because I was holding the video camera". I tell ya, I bust out laughing. Not sure if Lance thought it was funny or not. The ER doc just raised his eyebrows.

Ah yes, I love humor in stressful situations. Does that mean I'm emotionally immature? Maybe. While pregnant with Lil Chick at 34ish weeks and my OB doc said she was admitting me for full time hospital bedrest I SMILED. Nope, didn't cry. Didn't freak out. Just smiled.

For your viewing pleasure, the sled crash:



SO. Needless to say it has been slightly chaotic over here. I dug my nursing cap out of storage, was a single Mama to Bubbalu and Lil Chick, tried to keep a handle on the house (unpacking, blech) and ran my Etsy shop. Not going to lie to you, it wasn't easy. I was quite overwhelmed!

After a couple of rocky weeks Lance is now back at work and healing nicely. We were so very thankful that surgery was not required...and that our Sis in law is the nurse for an EXCELLENT orthopedic Doc! Ya know, being a Dentist and severely injuring your right arm/shoulder/back is not a good thing. SO thankful he is healing well.

A week after his accident, we had a fun week of snow in our hometown, schools cancelled and everything! Snow that lasts is a rare treat and the kiddos had SO much fun playing outside. I discovered a love of shoveling snow as our regular snow shoveler was still lying on the couch healing. Seriously, making ginormous piles of snow that take weeks to melt? YES.

I went cross country skiing through town the first night of the snow with my bro and sis in law and took a hard fall, spraining my ankle pretty bad. Awesome.

I may have cried a few times over the next few days. Just keeping it real.

10 days later and I am now the one healing nicely....but am fighting a nasty lingering sinus infection.

Doggedly determined to NOT be down. To NOT be cynical. To NOT get angry. I think that's how Satan gets to me. Throw a TON of stressful stuff all at once and watch me crumble. Nope. Not gonna work.

I'm leaning on the Lord.

After all, HE is in charge.

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

I've got the BLUES...

I've got a recent fondness (OK, obsession) with the color blue.

This obsession is evident in the silver sage paint in my house (that is really a lighter blue/gray):


(Restoration Hardware Silver Sage, bottom right)

the clothes I wear (currently a teal long sleeved top. You'll thank me for not taking a self portrait of myself right now. Not my best day)....

or the fabrics I choose to purchase for new scarf patterns for VintageDutchGirl Etsy:


(VintageDutchGirl Etsy) Pin It


Yup, They are all BLUE.

I tend to drift towards bluesy green hues that remind me of our sometimes dreary, yet cozy Pacific NW coast and skies:


(Image via Design-Seeds)

Or the brighter aqua hues of a Caribbean ocean:


(Image via Design-Seeds)

They all speak to me differently: Invigorating, restful, peppy, cool, classy, funky, soothing.

Just Remember: Having the blues isn't always a bad thing.

After all, I'm currently sitting in my silver sage painted dining room on a dark red dining chair while wearing my teal shirt....and a big smile.

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

Momisphere Advice Needed...

OK, so I have something gross to talk about today. You've been warned.

Yes, it involves kids.

Yes, it involves the bathroom.

Actually, strike that, it DOESN'T involve the bathroom....catch my drift?

I have a child who (shall remain anonymous. 50% chance, guess who?) decided that the bathroom was WAY too far away and the bedroom carpet was an EXCELLENT place to deposit urine. You know, don't want to walk 6 feet and use a toilet, takes way too much time away from playing. Awesome.

I need cleaning advice. I googled it, of course, and looks like I need some sort of enzymatic cleaner. It comes in powder and liquid form. Used this before?

However, where Google fails me is that I want an option to select only results from Moms. I'll call it the Momisphere. Seriously, that would be SUPER useful, agree? Only advice from fellow Mamas, not About.com, ehow, Wikianything or shopping results for products that will clear my urine to help me pass a drug test. Really!? Dear Google, you can send my royalty check via paypal. Thankssomuch.

Mamas lemme have it, advice for cleaning DRIED (yep, didn't discover it in time) urine from carpet? I need all the help I can get!

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

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Sassy and Sophisticated...

Hiya! I’ve had this new sassy and sophisticated cozy warm infinity scarf design brewing in my mind for a few months and finally got around to figuring out exactly how I wanted it to look.

I am so excited to finally show you the final outcome! Pin It

Sassy and Sophisticated by Vintage Dutch Girl on Etsy.

There’s no reason you can’t look stunning when it’s stinkin cold outside! I have a bunch of different varieties coming….such as teal, champagne, cream, black and gray. Ah yes, wonderful FALL colors!

As for something more blatantly AUTUMN I have this new gorgeous Burnt Umber Blossom print:

I love sewing these up, they make me smile!

I’m doing some MAJOR house whipping today, hoping Tinkerbell can come sprinkle some magical super fairy dust on me so I can flit and fly all about my house. Seriously. There isn’t ONE room in my house that I would be proud to show my Grandma. Coffee coffee coffee……

Speaking of Tink...

I may be making Lil Chick a Tinkerbell costume for our Harvest festival party this October. We’ve been bringing back the VHS tapes in the bonus room while I do some sewing. The kiddos are LOVING Peter Pan, The Lion King (Uh, FFW through the scary parts!), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinnochio.

It’s fun to see the kiddos enjoy movies I enjoyed as a child. Now, if I can find (thrifted, of course) Anne of Green Gables, Lady and the Tramp, Dumbo and Cinderella on VHS our collection will be almost complete. It still makes me giggle to see those ginormous VHS tapes. Remember waiting FOREVER for them to rewind?

Be kind, rewind!

Amanda – Vintage Dutch Girl

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Framed Pink Lemonade Sunshinyness...

I'll frame just about anything.

I want it to be cute, seasonally appropriate and low cost...or even better, FREE. Cause I like free.

I pick up picture frames (glass and mat or no) at our local thrift shop a few times a month. So, that means I usually have a large stash of frames just waiting for their turn with the spray paint. Unlike the rest of the nation, it's been super rainy here this "summer" so I've not had many chances to be outside spray painting things. So sad.

However, I did manage to get one frame spray painted a nice sunny yellow. Insert a 4X6 Costco print of this summerific Pink Lemonade Recipe free printable (from Funkytime). Staple a length of knotted fabric to the back as a hanger and hang it up.Pin It

Well hello bit o summer, nice to meet you! Yes, you ARE making it seem more sunshiney in my house. And making me thirsty. For purty pink lemonade in a glass with a sugar coated rim.

Nope, it wasn't free, but does under $1.00 count as cheap n thrifty? Yup, think so.

I just love the Insta-summer-art.

OK, not instant. It took me a good month to finish this project. Because I can be extremely forgetful about a project until my hubby gives me an "um, hello, what is this yellow frame doing just sitting on a pile of books in the garage?" look. Then my memory miraculously returns.

Happy Summer y'all..

Amanda

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Vintage Xbox for Four (and a HALF) year olds...

Being that is was another cold Washington Summer Weather 2011 day, the kiddos were getting bored being stuck inside the house. Again. (and I may have been going slightly bonkers).

Having been introduced to the wonderful world that is video gaming by my boy cousins at a recent family dinner, I hauled out our old school Xbox to show Bubbalu how it's done.

A. When I say old school, I mean it. The date promter started at '01. Which made me giggle. Just think, only 9 more years and it's eligible to be sold as Vintage on etsy!

B. Bubbalu is a better Rallysport driver than I am. Embarassing. Being showed up by a 4 (and a HALF! he always insists) year old. Huh, all those days growing up playing Wolfenstein on our PC didn't teach me anything!?

C. Should I teach him DanceDance Revolution? That'd be some serious hilarity. And an effective energy burner....hmmm. (...Runs off to find DDR dance mat....).

D. I need to unearth some older Xbox kids games. Anyone willing to donate some old castoff games to the "Amanda needs to clean her house and keep her sanity" fund?

Happy gaming!

Amanda

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Perfect Bran Muffins....and Banana Pound Bread?

Pin It

I had a friend and her lovely kiddos over for a quick playdate this morning.

Of course, I forgot to clean up last night's dishes after we got home (we went out to watch Transformers 3 - super cool!) and then proceeded to accidentally sleep in.

Wonderful.

I awoke to shouts of, "Nuh UH! That's MY bread!" What the??

Turns out if Mommy sleeps in...no problemo! Bubbalu and Lil Chick can steal a loaf of bread from the pantry and chow down on however many slices they want. One? Two? Twelve?

However, I thought this was rather convenient as I had a large to-do list that I needed to complete in less than 58 minutes and they took care of one of the most important items. Sweet!

Managed to whip the house sorta into shape (ya know, the normal: dishes, laundry, pick-up junk, hide the weapons, etc).

I decided that I really should try to bake something yummy before they arrived and then remembered that (insert head slap) I had used the rest of the white flour on making banana pound bread.

What's banana pound bread?

It's SO easy. You make it JUST like banana bread, except omit the baking soda. Voila. Banana pound bread.

Anywho, all I had left was oat bran and whole wheat flour...which is better for ya anyways!

Quickly googled bran muffins, threw it together....but then took some artistic license and added a bunch of extra ingredients and different measurements. So I've got a new recipe to share with y'all!

(Ulterior Motive: I won't remember if I don't write it down TODAY. If I don't post this recipe and instead just jot it down on paper, I'll lose it. So really, I just want to forever post this in blog-land so I'll still have it. Thank you little blog. )

Perfect Bran Muffins

2.5 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 cups oat bran
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup corn/vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Combine all dry ingredients. Combine all liquid ingredients. Mix those both together. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 375* for 18 minutes. Let cool, serve! Makes 24 muffins.

Try em, they're delish. Just enjoy them in moderation. Just sayin. Y'all know what too much fiber does to your digestive system, right? Yup.

Enjoy :)

Amanda

* Totally kidding about the weapons...Sorta
* Banana pound bread? Yeah, well.... let's just say it was an unintentional discovery... ;)

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Broken Mirror to Fake Transom...and a Doubtful TjMaxx Dude...

Awhile back while pursuing the aisles of TjMaxx I came across this:

It was in the clearance aisle....AKA Amanda's Playground.

Don't remember how much. I think $6 ish.

Brought it to the register. Dude looks at me with a "are you some kind of stupid?" look on his face and says, "uh, you DO know it's broken, right?"

I smiled, "yup!"

He raised his eyebrows, sighed and finished ringing up my purchases.

I find it strangely hilarious knowing he will forever wonder about the crazy lady who purchased a broken mirror.

Maybe he will one day come across this post.

While wearing thick work gloves I carefully took the broken mirror out and tossed it.

Spray Prime

Spray Paint

Wipe on glaze mixed with dark brown paint.

Wipe it off

Wipe it on

Wipe it off

....you get the idea....

You end up with a nicely aged finish in the seams and edges. PERFECT.

Check it out, a fake transom above my double sliding glass door:



SO much better than a dingy gold cracked mirror:

Before n After:

Pin It

Dear Doubtful TjMaxx Dude,

Didn't see that one coming, didya?

:) Amanda

LAST DAY TO ENTER! Live in the Pacific NW? Love animals? A great family ticket pack for the Pet Expo going on July 8-10 is up for grabs! Ends TOMORROW!

Smart Organizing...

I keep searching Pinterest for smart, inventive way to organize random household stuff. Ya know, the stuff you need but have no idea how to keep it purty.

In almost all of these photos I've thought, "Der, why didn't I think of that!?"

Fight the daily paper piles:


Using hidden available spaces:


Makes SO much sense. Just not sure I want a sock bulletin board visible to all:


Lil Chick and Bubbalu would have a heyday with this one! (Picture a pile of unrolled ribbon, a pretty white plastic contained filled with empty cardboard ribbon spools and a mother plugging her ears and slowly counting to 10.)


Der:


Took this photo this morning of my linen closet:

not.

Smart AND cute:


Once again, a heydey. But super smart:


If only I had multiple balls of twine and pretty metal funnels:


LOVE. Dad, see this? I'm certain you could build that:)


Tis true!


Anyone inspired to organize? Me too :) All images via my Pinterest Organizational Ideas Board.

Amanda

P.S. The $50 giftcard giveaway for blessing Mama's and Babies is still going on! You have time to enter to win, go HERE.

Follow VintageDutchGirl on FACEBOOK :)

Retro Rustic Clean Country Laundry...

Good Morning!

I have never been SO excited in my entire long three decade life to do laundry. Yep, we finally upgraded! No more el cheapo craigslist castoffs! With the amount of yucky dirty laundry I do in a week, it really trumped all other home upgrades/furniture/yardstuff/travel trailers etc.

Seriously.

We ordered our new washer and dryer about 5 days before our long trip to South Carolina...and despite having to try and figure out how to pack the entire house into 4 suitcases, I decided to repaint my laundry room. I had TONS of time.

Because really now, what better time is there to paint your laundry room when you can completely remove your washer and dryer? And what paint lovin lady wouldn't seize the chance for a room redo and to cover up more babypoop colored walls and ceilings? (yep, ceilings too)


Hello, perfect chance. Couldn't say no.

My Mama was kind to help me paint AND did my laundry for me at her house (yup, washed, dried AND folded!) during those 5 days pre-trip when you do so stinkin much laundry just to have all of your regularly worn clothing ready to pack.

I chose my fave new neutral: Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage. (Er...I mean Home Depot's Behr Paint and Primer in one color matched to RH's Silver Sage from a paint sample card.)
(Course, I was not thinking clearly and threw the empty paint can away - doh! I'm praying my friend still has the can so I can get the formula.)

The glorious new washer and dryer arrived 14 days ago....and I am in love. Big RED puffy heart in love :)

I love doing laundry!!!

It's the actual folding and putting away part that's been the problem. I have piles of super clean perfectly steamed laundry all over the house and just don't want to do the unfun part of laundry.

(No this is not a local casting call for dirty laundry. And before I get baskets of laundry on my porch with little notes that say "wash me!" let me say something here. All laundry that isn't from my own family...or has not received the laundry blessing from the laundress will be taken to the backyard and torched. Bless your heart.)

I'm still working on the decor/organization in my walk-thru laundry room. I'm hoping to convince my hubby that installing a built in side shelf, high wide plank beadboard, a sitting bench with shoe cubbies and a coat rack with shelf would be an exciting early summer project. Jury's out on that one.

I'm hoping for lots of galvanized metal, pops of red and aqua, some worn edges. I'll call it retro rustic clean country.

Now if you will excuse me, I plan on shirking my laundry folding and putting away to browse inspiration photos on my new fave, Pinterest. Seriously. Get on there. It's way too fun.

Amanda

P.S. The $50 giftcard giveaway for blessing Mama's and Babies is still going on! You have time to enter to win, go HERE.

Of course, FACEBOOK :)

Twitchy Labeling Fingers...

I FINALLY purchased a label maker.

SO. Stinkin. EXCITED.

My handwriting development hit a roadblock in 2nd grade and…well…I hate my handwriting. It’s not purty.

Also? When I crashed into that roadblock way back when I also suffered permanent damage to the organizational section of my brain.

However, despite how organizationally and penmanshipally (yes that is a word) challenged I am I crave order and perfection in my house.

Yep, that's a problem.

I decided to fight my own character and bring some order into my usually disorganized and messy home.

Step #1. Everything Must Have A Place.

Enter the label maker:

Brother P-Touch. Costco. Best price! (Duh)

First, I read the entire informational pamphlet, including what will happen if I drop it into a bucket of water and how to properly dispose of used batteries.

Then, I burned through two full tape cartridges in FOUR DAYS. Yup. Major labeling OCD over here. I barely restrained myself from labeling my children. (FYI, buy a 4 pack of label cartridges at Costco. Seriously. Super duper good deal, best I found.)

Newly Labeled Organized Goodness:

* 4 under bed bins of all things related to wrapping and giving presents
* 2 purged and completely redesigned and reorganized file cabinets (only took me two full days, but whatever)

Gave myself a gold star :)

*Kiddos dresser contents. Really ladies, this is brilliance. Now my hubby will never say "I have NO idea where you keep the kids' shorts/undies/tshirts/swimsuit/socks/pants/hats/jeans!? You'll have to go and get it yourself". See? Brilliance!

(to be fair, Lance is an excellent hubby and daddy and doesn't shy away from helping with the house or kids :)

*Batteries. If you have been around me the past four days I have probably blabbed on and on about my newly compartmentalized and labeled battery organization. And my Asics GT2150's that I found for a smokin' deal at TjMaxx. I am SUCH a nerd:

Inspiration photo found here.

*All TOYS. Goodness gracious it felt good to get toys in bins!


Think they will STAY in bins? Yup, me neither. But ya gotta try, right?

I've got a few other hundred ideas and inspiration photos to attack my home, but I feel like I've made a huge dent.

Next huge project will be the bonus/craft/sewing room. That may take a few MONTHS :) I feel like I've gotta get it organized and running well before my fall/winter/holiday Etsy rush. It will make an already busy and chaotic season a bit less stressful.

Ok, I need MORE ideas! I've got twitchy labeling fingers. What else should I label?

Amanda

P.S. The $50 giftcard giveaway for blessing Mama's and Babies is still going on! You have time to enter to win, go HERE.