Hours Passed and Lessons Learned

wondering where I've been?

2009-09-18T10:02:00.004-04:00

HERE... My friend Kira and I that I always tell you about.. we started our own company! That's right, we are the face of our new greeting card business, 'Yours Truly, Kira & Kate'. We design and create 100& handmade greeting cards for all occasions. You know I'm a crafter :), and one day we just decided to start making them for fun... and voila our company was born. We just started out at the end of August, but already we've been getting a lot of orders in for personalized cards and we just put up our first sale on Etsy!

I've been so busy with that, just trying to promote the company is hard enough. I've started at school full time again and I've picked up another day at work! So chances are you won't be seeing alot of me :( I promise that I will try not to go another month without checking in!
And since I always posted pictures of my crafts...
See ya for now!

rethink history...

2009-08-17T19:30:00.016-04:00

First off, sorry bloggies for my inexcusably long absence! I've really just been trying to enjoy the rest of my summer spending as much time away from the house/computer/internet as possible. I figured separating myself from the blog for a few days would help :)

What have I been up to lately? Not too much, spending time with my puppers,
Getting a super fun new haircut with my bestie!
Spending lots of time jogging with the puppers with my new kicks...
and the new toy I raved about here.
Running is a breeze with this baby! I am slightly addicted, which I think is a great thing because it's got me running more miles a week than normal!

I've dove into an AMAZING book...
...almost done, but I want it to last so badly I've been taking my time :) If you haven't read it yet, you must, trust me.

And now, for vacation I spent the day reliving history. I am in Williamsburg, VA for a few days. Today we spent travelling through history in downtown Colonial Williamsburg.

A horse at the first plantation we visited totally tried to feel me up. I forgave him :) He did start licking my arm however and actually bit me. His teeth are really odd like two pieces of wood so it just felt like something was clamping down on my arm :D
After there we headed to the Governor's Palace which was about a 30 minute tour with an awesome tour guide who practically told us everything about the building, including where the floorboards came from!
Here's your personal picture tour of the place...
I love the crazy funky colors they used back then! We're talking late 1700's here, and the dining room is lime green and the ballroom is an aqua blue.. the tour guide said that was super common back then. After this tour we searched for somewhere to eat for about an hour (..and about 2 miles of walking in 90+ degrees heat) and gave up on the town for the day. Hungry Kate is NOT a happy camper :) We shall return on Wednesday, tomorrow we're headed to Busch Gardens!!

Hope all of you have been amazing! Enjoy the rest of you Monday!

home sweet home :)

2009-08-10T15:16:00.003-04:00

Great news folks. After hunting for what feels like forever and being tired of with living with my mother :) Love you Mom! ... I think we finally found something!
It needs a little shaping up, and we haven't officially signed anything yet; but the owners are going to make repairs and fix it up for the rest of August and we'll move the beginning of September! I love that it's an older house and is very unique. The set up is odd, the rooms have those awesome diagonal ceilings and lots of windows. It has a lot of character and I'm really excited to share some of my life in it! Ahh Relief. I couldn't imagine starting a semester of college still looking for somewhere to live!! And I know what you're thinking, she's going to love having a whole house to decorate ;)

Today is an absolute scorcher, being outside in the 100 degree weather is not my fave but that didn't stop us from heading to Cross Street Market in the city for some half off Sushi :) Me and the madre headed to a few thrift stores looking for good reads. And here I am back in the AC blogging and catching up on yours! Hope everyone else Monday is going great!

time flies!

2009-08-08T15:10:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe how much time I have let fly by since I've posted. I feel like I keep saying that really, but wow! Work has been nuts lately... Keeping me from my crafting, and bloggy world. :( Someone was let go mid-week and I was called in to pick up a shift .. or two. So instead of my measly 24 hours or so a week I'm pretty sure I clocked in 2 extra shifts. Nice for my wallet, not so nice for my social life :) Well I just got off again, and have the rest of the day to hit the gym, and apartment hunt with my bunny!
Have a great weekend all!

busy days away and my new bff

2009-08-05T16:53:00.005-04:00

I've been MIA for a few days now.. wait wait, I can explain :) Thomas and I are headed to Williamsburg, VA for a 4 days coming up and I've been tying the last few loose ends of the vacay! Don't worry it's not for another 10 days or so, I'm not leaving you so soon. The last few days, besides planning have been pretty relaxing. I haven't been crafting as much since my partner in crime is away again :) but I have been busy. Thomas bought me a new toy....
For any of my fellow iphoners/ipod owners out there, let me introduce you to my new best friend, The Nike+. This little baby is every runners dream. It is a non complicated way to track distance, time, pace, calories burned, and when syncing to your computer it even shows you the path you ran. All you have to have is an iPod Nano, or iTouch/iPhone the little orange device up top is sold seperately for 19$ (we didn't know that and bought the combo package with iPod hook up, for the Nano) The little orange and white thingy goes into the sole of your Nike shoes (too bad I have Addidas we still have to perform surgery so I don't have a rock in my shoe). You pick your music playlist and press play, the timer starts going as soon as the music starts playing.
That's a photo from the app you would have on your Touch or iphone. Choose your workout and go. I was a very happy camper when Thomas said he was going to get it for me! Now, I want to run all the time! I highly suggest this little friend to anyone who loves to run or wants to get into running!
Last night was a fun one, Thomas and I did a little date night- to make up for all the time he spent working last week- he took me to dinner and we saw Funny People at the movies :) Honestly, I am a huge Adam Sandler fan and I didn't think it was that funny. I'm not very rash or vulgur and there were a lot of male genitilia jokes... if you know what I mean :/ Maybe you have to be a dude to think those were funny but it was just okay for me.
Today I shredded and walked the dog. I'm ready for a post workout snack and a nap! :)
Bye for now,

I seem to be...

2009-08-02T22:27:00.006-04:00

...totally in love with everything wayyyyy outta my price range :)
For instance:

This lovely shower curtain from Anthro. Somehow, I don't see myself spending 118$ on this beau. Uh, correction: I could never see myself spending half of that on a shower curtain. Call me cheap, but that is one non-justifiable purchase. And for me those are hard to come by ;)

This one- much more doable at 24.99$ as part of the Shabby Chic collection at Target. And still in my opinion super cute :)

Now these...

...might be a little harder to pass up ;)

Today's day at work/running errands with Thomas/crappy (sweaty) run and grueling Jillian workout has left me with no more juice for ya bloggies :) Night!

i promised you reviews...

2009-07-31T13:21:00.015-04:00

So here they are :) Just wanted to share with you all some thoughts and opinions about books I've read, and some movies I've seen while I was away from my blogworld for that awfully long week! First up is a book that I personally struggled to read off and on for about 2 months. (I usually finish an average size book in a few days to a week)
The Host by Stephenie Meyer- First off let me say that I am a huge Stephenie Meyer fan. Twilight=amazing. This book should have scared me away when my boyfriend guessed that it was about aliens by the name of it. He said that aliens are referred to as hosts in a lot of video games he plays. Yeah, I should have put it back on the shelf right then and there. But because I am a huge fan and thought I would love anything she wrote after Twilight I gave it a shot. I don't want to say that it is a bad book, it's just not my style. If you're familiar with the author then you would know she has a hard time getting to a point quickly (look at the length of the Twilight books) and she has the same problem here except in this novel's case it was painful. If you like sci-fi this could be right up your alley. All in all for me it was a very hard read.

Since I rarely ever go to movie theaters to see a movie (not a fan of the obnoxious middle schoolers, and the rudeness of some people and their gum chewing) I normally just rent when I can watch them in the comfort of my own home. One of the most recent movies seen was a dud.

Knowing starring Nicholas Cage.
Again, I have to say Thomas and I are pretty fond of Nicholas Cage movies. This one was just bad. It had some pretty good ideas, for example if the entire movie was built around the list found revealing the dates of all major tragedies to happen around the world- the movie probably would have been awesome. But instead it went off on some odd tangents, leaving you to not really understand where the movie was headed, and questioning the need of some of the characters in the plot. That and the ending of the movie absolutely blew. End of story.

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff.
This book was a wonderful compilation of one family's journey through their son's harmful drug addiction. The story begins at his birth goes through his childhood and continues to present day. Sheff shares his emotions, his personal experiences with drugs and his thoughts on different types of treatments and rehabilitation centers. Having an addict in my family I highly appreciated this book, I loved the wisdom that the author shared as well as his feelings during periods of relapse. He shared both positive and negative stories about his son's addiction. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read, but specifically for parents, children or families of addicts, addicts as well as recovering addicts. I loved also the education that I gained from this read. (For example: I'm not very drug saavy, and had no idea that meth and speed were the same thing!) After Beautiful Boy came out Nic Sheff decided to write his story of his addiction called 'Tweak'. I can't wait to read that one. If you'd like more convincing to read here's a father-son video here.
And the one movie that I ALWAYS have seen the midnight premiere for.................
Harry Potter!! This particular release was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince or the
sixth book. My review for this one will probably be very bias, since I am and have always been a huge HP fanatic. I thought that the director captured this book perfectly. The story line is of course fantastic, the acting is amazing as always. I love that they played up the little romances and jealousies between the characters. It was surprisingly very funny while being extremely dark and adventurous at the same time. Overall I'd hate to place a favorite but I'd say I think that this one did it for me. I think there was a few more things in the book that I wish they would have dwelled on longer but that's every recreation of a novel. Overall as a fan, I was very pleased with this movie!

Well guys, this was my first time doing reviews! If you'd like more posts like this or not, just let me know! Today has been filled so far with finishing up my mail holder, after it stops raining I think I'll head out for a jog and do day 3 of Jillian's Shred :)
Have a great afternoon!

pier1 freebie :)

2009-07-30T22:34:00.008-04:00

So first off I have to give credit to pier1 for helping me recreate these beautiful babies myself :)
Here's my inspiration pic courtesy of pier1.com
First terracotta planters were purchased for $.89 at A.C. Moore, so far that was the cheapest we found them. Kira and I bought chalkboard paint at Walmart for $7.99
Here they are with SEVERAL layers of chalkboard paint. Literally took some patience, we worked on other things while the paint dried :)
And here are my new herb pots ...

Seriously peeps it was that easy. They erase with your fingertips!

Oh, and as for my awesome find......
The missing parts are the hooks which were taken off to paint, it's just going to be white with the right empty side being painted with chalkboard paint! Once I'm done I'll be sure to show you the awesomeness of my new mail holder.
I'm exhausted from my date with Kira, my workout with Jillian, and my run with Parker! Nighty Night Bloggies!
Tomorrow's post is going to be full of reviews!
Kate

kate's finally crafting again...

2009-07-29T22:36:00.004-04:00

You heard that right, give Kate a day off, a few extra bucks and a Sweet place to work and she'll turn into Martha herself. :) So I spent all lovely day with my bestie, Kira, and wowee did we find some cuties. I must not have been in the mood to pull my iphone out of my purse (?? if that's possible) because I did NOT take any pictures of my finds. I know strange of me, right? I thought so too. Well I'll remind myself tomorrow or friday when I head back over to Kira's to reuinite with my items!
First to backtrack Kira and I created an awesome space for our crafts! She has an area in her basement which is virtually unused and we now have a makeshift table, a few shelves and lots and lots of craft supplies! That's where we took on one of a few crafts today...but unfortunately you're going to have to tune in tomorrow to find out what! I hate posting crafts without pictures :)
I did find a few books from the Goodwill store...
and
I also found what I've been looking for all my livelong life I feel like.....
a Mail holder :)!!! Oh and it was only 8 dollars, it was at the Goodwill so you bet it needs some TLC ( a new paint job and some sanding) but I guarantee I will love it when it's finito! Once again, bare with me for pics! I promise I'll post as soon as I take them.
Folks, I'm off to watch watchmen with my man hehe, See you tomorrow!
Kate

Great news!

2009-07-27T13:27:00.006-04:00

My internet's back! And I've lost almost all of the weight that I've gained from summer ice cream! I had literally gained about 8 pounds since June simply from Boardwalk french fries and mint choco chip ice cream. Pathetic I know but I've really put my head and body and tummy to it the last 2 weeks and have officially kicked 6 of those pounds.. almost there :)
As for crafts Kira sent me awesome news this morning, a family member cleaned out their craft room and donated whole lots of fun to the Kira and Kate craft foundation :) And we are going to set her basement up as a craft station for all of our crazy extravaganzas! We have a craft date Wednesday and hopefully we'll finish up working on these...
We got the idea from one of our favorite blogs Life in the Fun Lane, you can find the post on her cherry blossom branches there.

Well folks, I'm about to head downstairs and do a couple exercises out of my new book...
then get ready for work! Have a great monday!
Kate

2009-07-26T15:52:00.002-04:00

Well guys this is probably the longest time that I've gone without blogging! Hi again, I almost feel like I need to reintroduce myself! To be honest I've kind of been putting this post off, :). I feel just simply like I have NOTHING to blog about. I know that seems crazy since I did take like a week off, but really I've just been working, moving everything into my Mom's house and DYING without internet. Gosh I really hate that part. We're finally in my Mom's, with just a few odds and ends to wrap up at the old place. We're looking at more places to move into but so far not really having any success yet.

Well as for blog world, I have been trying desperately to keep up with all of your blogs, but since not having internet that has become wayy harder.. obviously. And to make things worse they got rid of it at work as well! So if you're missing my comments bare with me, Thomas is working on fixing my Mom's as I speak. I do however have an iphone so when I do feel like reading an impossibly tiny screen I'll manage which is how I found out that I won my first giveaway!! I enter them on my favorite random blogs, mostly health foods (since they're so expensive) and because they often feature all natural body products as well. Well I entered the Mojamix giveaway on my favorite foodie blog eatliverun.com with Jenna and I found out via iphone yesterday that I won!! I got to make my very own cereal mix which was way cool, it's a little pricey for those of us on a budget... but I think I'll still invest in it every once in a while anyways. And also I think would be a really awesome gift to some one, you can personalize the labeling and everything! Just head to mojamix.com !

Well now to stop rambling. I'm not really working on too many projects, partially because of the move and the other part is because I can't find my hot glue gun. It's probably in a random box in
storage :( hmmph.Well all I'm just about to finish settling in my mommas and check out
a few places and hopefully hang out with Kira who finally came back to me!
Kate

man oh man...

2009-07-20T16:55:00.002-04:00

What an interesting last few days. Well to make a long story short, (which I know I shouldn't do in a blog.. but I'm still a little stressed by the story so...) we did NOT move Saturday. Okay correction I did move boxes for a few hours but they were removed and relocated to our temporary residence as of Friday.. my Momma's :) Since I'm holding off on the whole story I'll just say that it was not what we expected. The walls were thin and we had a lot of loud rude neighbors. So thanks to the 3 day law in Maryland (you have 3 days to back out of a contract if you are not satisfied) we were able to get all of our money back and back out of the lease without question. We are now going to be with my Mom until we find something better! I don't have internet since we got all of that changed so blogging will be minimal in the next few days. Hopefully we'll find something better soon!
Kate

things I have wayyyy to much of...

2009-07-17T13:28:00.012-04:00

Well folks this will probably be my last blog for a few days, I move TOMORROW :0 and will not have internet set up at the new place until sometime next week... boo. I promised you a post yesterday and did not sorry :)Yesterday was a busy day split three ways, shopping at AC Moore for craft things with Kira and starting a cherry blossom branch craft. Shopping with my Momma and sister at Kohl's.. twice. And packing. I've been doing alot of packing. Which leads me to the title for my post... I have way to many of a lot of things! For instance.
Picture frames.... I have soo many that Thomas made me put the last bunch in one of my baskets saying that I already have TWO boxes full and I need to stop wasting the boxes. Well obviously I don't seem to care that I have too many because I just bought two more as you know from my last post :/
Next obsession...
Wicker baskets... This isn't even all of them. Go ahead and laugh. This may be a normal amount of baskets... for someone who has a HOUSE I am moving from a bedroom into a one bedroom apartment. I think Thomas clocked them in at 34 baskets. Oh an not pictured is my collection of storage boxes too. I probably have about 10 of those. You can find a picture of what I'm talking about here when I fabric covered a few. If anyone one knows of someone I can see for help for a wicker basket/storage box addiction please leave a comment on this post.

Books, which most of them I have read a hundred times and am holding onto..
This is one of two large boxes! But I don't think I'm that bothered by this one. I love reading!

Shoes, once again not too upset about this I am a firm believer that one can never own too many pairs of shoes. I have about two boxes and a duffel bag full of those. However, Thomas owns three pair of shoes. One pair of tennis shoes, one pair of dressy/work shoes, and one pair of sandals. I don't know how he functions. That almost makes me mad that he thinks it's okay to only own three different types of shoes. Ugh, men.
I own one too many handbags. I have two very large trash bags of those. I have to say I will be discarding one! I took a good look through them yesterday and honestly I haven't used well over half of them in so long they've definitely gone out of style.

And now for the pictures that I am most disgusted by.... I have WAY too many CLOTHES

Even with the items in the closet, plastic bags and in the hampers... all of those are filled with my clothes...
I have more in the car. And I already donated 4 bags. I semi have a problem with clothes.

Well guys I'm gonna miss ya! Other than pack and move in I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for the next few days, Kira leaves for Florida today, and my nanny and entire family are all down the beach for two weeks!
I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! What are some things you have too many of?
Kate

packing and painting...

2009-07-15T22:53:00.005-04:00

Story of my day :/ Well first off here's a hello from the Harry Potter premier, well from the line we waited in to get into the theater! An awesome movie, first off whether you're a fan of the book or not. And for all of you who went to the premier last night Congrats! because we set a record for the most money made at a midnight premier!! You can find the full article here.
Today I went to lunch with Kira at Panera, like every Wednesday if you haven't already noticed our little trend :) We then washed my car at a really cool DIY car wash.
And then I proceeded to have a really productive but still boring day. I packed the entire kitchen, which also meant cleaning out the fridge and freezer which meant SEVERAL trips up and down 3 flights of stairs to throw all the trash away. Inbetween getting bored cleaning and packing I worked on some painting too since the weather wasn't too humid. I was able to get my seagull frame completely painted...
It's the same color as my mirror, which I believe is country white by Dutchboy. It's still drying for some reason so I'll have final pictures tomorrow! I also just worked on painting some Ikea frames
..painted them gray to hopefully match our new bedrooms colors. I used spray paint on those as well as my "live" and "love" signs which I will post tomorrow as well.
I'm pretty tired tonight (maybe from being up until 4 this morning?) so I'm going to try and finish my book so I'll meet with you again tomorrow my dears!
Nighty!
Kate

steal alert!

2009-07-14T19:43:00.010-04:00

What a day! My nan called me this morning early to ask if I could be her chauffeur today since my Poppy was not feeling too well, so we headed to her daily jobs at the crack of dawn. She travels to the elderly homes who are too sick to leave to fix up their hair! So today I drove her around town.... my reward.... SHOPPING :)
By far our favorite activity to delve into together. We headed to J.C. Penny's where we found their having 60% off and extra 20% off clearance items. I found a great pair of jeans by Liz Clairborne for 9 dollas! Steal. Next was Kohls where I found these beauties....
From the picture they look black (and kinda blurry :/), but they're actually a brown faux leather like frame. Total steals at 3.99 a piece on clearance.
And last but not least
This STEAL was 2.49$ because the frame is dirty! I love the picture in the frame it reminds me of my grandparents old beach house. I plan to repaint the frame just to clean it up but I couldn't pass it up for the price!
As if you think my day couldn't have gotten better .. it did :)
My cousin called and asked if we wanted to head out on his boat to do some crabbing... HECK YES.

Here's the crabber's pulling up our dinner :)
My darling sister and I.

And here's the non crabber basking in her UV rays A.K.A. me.

And our reward...
Tonight Thomas and I are taking my sister to see the midnight premier of the new Harry Potter movie !! Well I should say that they are accompanying me since I'm the semi nerd HP addict :) Hope everyone else had an equally amazing day!
Kate

Gotta love a good deal!

2009-07-13T20:24:00.008-04:00

The pier1 closest to my current casa is closing which means good deals! I can't wait to scrounge around there tomorrow and see what I can find. I want to try and find items for my patio, someplace that Thomas and I spend a lot of time... so I want to make our new one more comfortable that our old. I already picked up some plants to make it a little more comfortable (from Ikea if that isn't odd, lol) as well as some cute planters. And Pier1's clearance items look like they'll be hard to pass up!

These bamboo torches are now just 2$ a peice!
More adorable planters 4.95$ a piece.
This lantern is just 14.95!
:)

These are perfect for my herb garden! (Could also be perfect for a craft... hellllooo chalkboard paint :)

Of course all of the images are from Pier1.com and I found all of these nifty things in the clearance section... now I hope I can just find them in the store!
Hope everyone's Monday was just fine!
Kate

wow I'm really getting into this!

2009-07-13T15:32:00.005-04:00

Woah! I have to say when I started blogging I was sure that it wasn't going to be a long term thing, that I would eventually grow tired and bored with my topics and that I would never find a way to interest anyone.... I have to say that I am pretty surprised with myself! I have really enjoyed every moment of sharing my lives with all of you :) I have not really found myself...too often anyways... without words.

Since I enjoy this so much so that I have decided to start another blog. I am going to make this seperate because it really has no relation to my current crafts/good deals/random blog. It will be sorta like a foodie blog. I decided that I really want to get completely back into my cooking/healthy meal plan phase again once we move into the apartment. I'll tell ya, lately we've been eating out a little bit more than normal because of the not wanting to buy more perishables while we're in the current apartment, and all this eating out is really messing with my body. It's not that it's all entirely unhealthy (if you choose the right places) it's just not my style. So I started coming up with some weekly meal plans so that I have in advance ideas for lunches and dinners. I'll post what it is and where I found it, since I'm no chef I'll be grabbing most of these recipes from the web, and my cookbooks! And hopefully I'll have enough times to shoot pics and give you my reviews of the food! You can find my nifty little project by clicking here http://eatinglessonslearned.blogspot.com/.

For those who haven't followed from the start I've been on my weight loss journey since July of 08' and have since lost around 45 pounds. I hope that by starting this new blog that I can further my success and hopefully encourage some people out there that losing weight isn't as hard as everyone makes it out to be!

Have a great day!
Kate

maybe mountains?

2009-07-12T10:07:00.005-04:00

I know this is awful far away to start planning for it already but Thomas and I normally go away just for a weekend around our anniversary date. (Which is in November people, OCD much?) Last year on our anniversary Thomas and I visited Washington D.C. which was an amazing trip. There was a perfect balance between history, entertainment and relaxation. This year I have started looking for places to go already! I'm thinking I really want to go to the Pocono Mountains in PA, which I hear is very romantic. We tried going there last year but couldn't find a hotel that was reasonable enough. This year, due to my excessive planning, I have it booked! Above is a picture of it in the Spring, obviously it will look more like this by the time we make it...

Well originally I thought there was no way Thomas would be into this kind of trip, because everyone kept telling me the only cool thing to do was ski- and both of us hate the cold! But I did a little researching and found out there is so much more to explore. I think we'll go horseback riding, go on a hike to tour the waterfalls,

... we'll probably go visit some museums and maybe I can convince him to shop with me! Well I was pretty excited so I felt the need to tell you :)

Have a great day!

Kate

...just a lonely saturday night...

2009-07-11T21:30:00.004-04:00

Does anyone ever enjoy being bored? I don't know what it is about having absolutely nothing to do that kind of makes me like boredom. I may be weird, I don't know. Anyway, Thomas is out with the boys and I'm enjoying my boredom watching Bravo movies drinking hot tea and ...obviously blogging. :)
We move in one week exactly today!! And I'm still very under prepared. I wish I had enough balls to show you all how the apartment looks right now but I deleted the pictures as soon as I uploaded them! I also wish that my boxes and packing looked as organized as the picture above, but sadly no I googled that one. I literally will sit down to pack and give up after about 10 minutes. It's so mind numbingly boring! (The kind of boring that is obviously not enjoyable.) I've decided that I'm only taking half of my wardrobe with me so one of these days I will have to sort through all of that and decide what is nice enough to drag with me. Well tomorrow I'm off to work and then hopefully spending some time with Thomas!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their weekend, boring or not :)
Kate

I would want to sleep all the time!

2009-07-09T22:46:00.006-04:00

This totally makes me wonder whether I want to base my room off of my current Vera Wang sheet set. I might try to convince Thomas into settling into these....
(images:PotteryBarn)

They match my blog :) and they completely remind me of my favorite designer, Vera Bradley, which for those of you who are not familiar works entirely with paisleys really.
Below is my favorite color by her yellow bird.
Image is from verabradley.com.

The sheet set is actually on sale right now if anyone is loving it as much as I am. Tonight I'm just relaxing with Thomas and then spending our day off tomorrow together!
Have a good night!
Kate

Things I'm totally obsessed with...

2009-07-09T10:32:00.001-04:00

The three at the top are courtesy of Anthropologie and the last two are Urban Outfitters. Like my title claimed I am totally diggin' these at the moment. They retail for about 12-30$ each but I think with a few jars lying around some leftover photo wire I may have another project on my hands... what do you think?

fun-filled as usual...

2009-07-08T23:38:00.021-04:00

Well before tackling our Martha "Go Green" totes, we of course went to lunch and then stopped at a produce stand that we've been eying up for quite some time. It's one of those places that you always pass and always say, "One day we have to stop there". Well we went in and actually quickly left, the owners made it extremely uncomfortable! Well they at least had some beautiful flowers...

Sorry, there's just something about flowers that always makes my day. Anyways, back to the totes. These took forever! But mostly because we are definitely craft perfectionists. We started with a large tote that we purchased at JoAnn's Fabrics for around 6$. We also just used acrylic paint, a paint brush and..... potatoes!
Here's what we did...

1. We set up our paint and brushes
2. We cut our potatoes, cutting them longways so that we had many to use and then cutting some small and some wide slits in the potatoes for the "stencil".
3. Paint the potatoes with color of choice
4. And stamp! I love how floral they look.

Here's some more pictures of the process,

Me painting a potato :)
There's a pic of Kira's finished project and the HUGE mess we made!
Here's mine... but the final step was to--
5. Add buttons. Just hot glue on, no need to sew!

You can also check out Kira's blog with more pics and recaps www.rainywednesdaymornings.blogspot.com.

And that's all folks! Have a great night!
Kate

good morning!

2009-07-08T10:45:00.002-04:00

Sorry for my absence! I've been pretty busy just settling back in from the holiday vacation. Today is another day planned for relaxing. I'm soon to be heading to lunch with Kira at our weekly Panera Bread outing. Then hopefully, if I can talk Kira into it, we're going to be shredding with Jillian. After that we're going to work on these.....
(from Marthastewart.com)

These fashionably printed grocery totes will have you saying "no thanks" to plastic bags.

Tools and Materials:
Organic cotton tote bag
Potatoes and/or apples
Kitchen knife
Fabric or acrylic paint
Linoleum cutter
Paintbrush

Printed Grocery Tote How-To
1. Cut a potato in half. Carve a simple design into the potato using a linoleum cutter. Tip: Apples cut in half, carved or uncarved, also make great designs.

2. Brush paint onto the carved surface, being sure to cover it entirely.

3. Stamp with the potato on the cotton tote. Re-ink and stamp as many times as desired.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!
Kate

a wonderful weekend passed...

2009-07-05T20:50:00.006-04:00

Here's a few highlights from the beach...

Our 4th of July was spent just like this ...

Thomas and I before the fireworks :)

A hello from the boards !

Lots of oohs and ahhs from us...

Well my Thomas just left :( He has to work tomorrow, but I'll be leaving here Tuesday morning. First off let me recap! Saturday we fished again for awhile then laid on the beach for a few hours had a feast of our own steamed Eastern Shore blue crabs my cousin caught with corn on the cob, baked potatoes and beer... It was delish for sure. We watched the amazing 20 minute firework show from the same beach pictured above. We came home and crashed!!
This morning we headed to the boardwalk (also pictured above) and treated ourselves to every delicacy known to the Ocean City boardwalk. I had Polish water ice (which for those who are scratching your heads is a softer version of Italian ice), some good ole Thrasher's fries, and Thomas had a funnel cake a milkshake and we split a lemonade! Talk about some rolly polies as we were leaving.

And the rest of the day we've just been dreading Thomas' departure :( My family was making fun of us as we were holding onto each other, claiming that since we've been together for almost 4 years the "honeymoon" lovey stage should be over. I highly disagree! Even though we've been together this long I still feel as though everyday is like the first. Call me lame but it was still very hard to let him go today even though I'll be home Tuesday! :) I'm still very much in love I must say. Nothing like a nice vacation to remind you of that.

Well tonight we're taking it easy. Some ice cream and a bubble bath are in the forecast for me! I hope everyone's Fourth of July was amazing and safe! Good night,
Kate

relaxation at it's finest

2009-07-03T21:45:00.005-04:00

Ahh... the sound of the ocean. Sorry it's not a better picture, I was not leaving my beach chair for anything :) I had my current book, (The Host by Stephenie Meyer) my sunblock (as well as tanning oil... I'll never learn!), diet Lipton Green Tea and my favorite shades and I had a perfect day at the beach! There's just something about being near the water that puts you immediately at ease. The relaxation that never wears. Only half of the fam came since everyone went the day before we got there and were sunburnt but we still enjoyed ourselves. Thomas stayed home with my nan and uncles and ended up having some fun himself involving mixed drinks and playing cards...
This is how I found him...

Well I'm pretty sure it was that and the combination of waking at 6 for him to fish and I to run.

Tonight my grandparents went to the local minor league baseball game and Thomas and I got ice cream and relaxed. We're about to play cards again and then get ready for Independence Day!

Hope everyone's holiday is fun and safe!
Kate

Good Morning from the beach!

2009-07-03T08:20:00.004-04:00

Here's the view from the pier that we fished from this morning!

We arrived here last night around nine after just a minimal amount of traffic. We slept like babies and I awoke refreshed at 6 am this morning and ready for my jog. I did about a mile and a half and got ready for fishing! We're headed to the beach soon and I'll be sure to keep you updated about all of our adventures while we're here!
Kate

thank gosh its almost the 4th!

2009-07-02T09:56:00.011-04:00

We leave tonight for a little vacay back to Ocean City, MD :) YES! I couldn't be more excited and Thomas needs it after all this work he's been up to! Well yesterday was a very very busy day for Kira and I. We had our weekly Panera Bread and then headed to IKEA per my request. I just wanted to get a few odds and ends for the new place. First thing that totally excited us....

FABRIC ART! I'm not sure why I'm sooo obsessed with this stuff lately. We almost bought the canvases yesterday to start but they're mucho expensive so I'm gonna hold off until I'm really sure what I want to do. I've been debating the headboard idea, but also am not sure if I just want to try them out singly until I make sure I like them!

Next on my list of ventures is the kitchen, after yesterday's trip I'm fairly sure that I am finished with the decorative items. I picked up a set of these

Well I picked up the rail, 2 of the pails and the paper towel holder..(not pictured). I love this idea! For the life of me I can't remember why I didn't take pictures of the apartment the last time we visited it to check on the progress... but if we stop by again I will remember. The kitchen is probably the ugliest part of the whole thing! It's very narrow and small but I can deal for the price.

Next I have to decide curtains for the living room sliding glass door. The complex is not providing venetian blinds so we have to figure out how we want to control that space. Since our couch is navy blue these were two choices I have to consider
I have a slight feeling Thomas will choose the stripes since he thinks I'm taking over his manly with all of the floral, but either one will do for me. Some other things I picked up while there: discounted plates (random, I know), a glass pitcher, drinking glasses, more spice jars, lots of adorable planters, and 2 tropical plants. (I packed most of it already to move, or I would have pictures) Alright, enough about the apartment.

Projects- I finished ONE coaster lol. I didn't say that they were easy or fun, well they are kinda fun but honestly more of a pain. You end up getting glue all over you just a forewarning, and once again I used Hemp rope because I couldn't find the rope she used.
Well folks, I'm off to make more of those, pack for the ocean and pack some more of the apartment up!
Hope your weekend starts today too!
Kate

productive days off :)

2009-06-30T12:40:00.003-04:00

Today Thomas is buying his new car! We've gone through many arguments with this one but overall I'm pretty happy with his decision. First he thought he wanted to get a 2009 Civic Coupe Manual. I didn't like the coupe because of the bucket back seats (making less room for passengers and for luggage since we often take long road trips), or the manual because I can't drive it :) so he compromised and has decided on the four door sedan Civic!
I'm pretty sure he's going with black, and he promised me that he's going to teach me how to drive a stick! So overall I'm finally pleased with his decision.
I'm getting ready to finish up laundry and then drive my nanny to Costco. I'll most likely hit the gym later on today or maybe go for a nice run since the weather is awesome! We leave for 4th of July vacation in 2 days :)
Hope it's sunny where you are!
Kate

projects projects projects!

2009-06-29T18:44:00.007-04:00

I feel like I'm up to my ears in them! But I love it so who am I to complain. So sorry for not taking pictures last night, I did not end up wearing the dress it started to rain and I was not in the mood for sandly shoes and wet feet. I would have taken pictures of my yummy pasta but I left the camera in the car and was not travelling out in the rain to grab it... it was just not my night! But I did start on some really cool things projects last night I must share. First things first I bought this stain a little while ago.. (when I bought the paint that fell on my poor toes)(which are still recovering !)

Originally I bought this stain because it was 3.50$ and for my spice rack. It's called Provincial and it's really dark. So since I didn't feel like working on the spice rack :/ I know I'm a procrastinator I decided to dirty up my mirror instead. Here's my final finished product of my redone mirror! Don't mind my reflection I was trying to get the best light :) Oh and don't mind the mess in the background either.. that's just my half-packed kitchen!

So that can finally be put to rest all I did was sand a few warn marks into it with fine sand paper, and then go over certain parts with the dark stain and wipe off quickly so now it looks nice and dirty dirty.

I also started slowly becoming Martha Stewart, besides totally stalking her website lately trying to find things to do I actually started on one project! I'm modifying her rope coasters craft. You can find her version here. I didn't finish them yet but here's my progress so far...

Anyways I'm at work now and I'll be home later to spend some time with Thomas and possibly work on these again!

Hope your Mondays weren't too awful!
Kate

Another lazy sunday : )

2009-06-28T15:46:00.002-04:00

I just got off work and couldn't be more excited to relax. It has been such a long weekend! Mostly because I've been working and that always goes slowly, but I think it also has something to do with me being already excited to get out of here again! The apartment is so cluttered and disheveled! I know we're moving but I still think things should go in back in their place and Thomas just thinks that we're going to pack it soon anyway so why not just leave everything EVERYWHERE! Clothes, shoes, anything and everything is currently all over the place driving me crazy.

I started packing the kitchen and deep cleaning the kitchen. I have been trying to but that off for way too long now. I have everything out of the cabinets and ready for packing but we ran out of boxes so we'll have to wait to finish that. I'm cleaning out the refrigerator today after Thomas and I return from dinner. I'm thinking about wearing the dress that I found on clearance not to long ago! I'm pretty sure we're doing Italian and I'll post later with pictures in my dress if I wear it!
Have a great rest of the weekend!
Kate

And we're back!

2009-06-26T19:04:00.008-04:00

Finally, after a long traffic ridden drive home Kira and I are back home, Yay back to the blog! We had oodles of fun while there, and had some relatively nice weather. Above is a snapshot of us on the end of the Bay Bridge. We went to the beach, we laid out by the pool, visited the boardwalk and partied slightly. ;) We almost saw the sunrise

...but decided it was a little too overcast and headed home!

Overall I was sad to leave but also anxious to be home with Thomas, and the apartment that needs packing. I shall be visiting the Ocean again next weekend for the 4th of July this time with him so I shouldn't miss it too much in between! Michael Jackson passing away still seems very unreal. Thomas is highly upset that the Elvis of our time has died. So it's been nothing but seeing him on TV and trying to find him on the radio since I got home :) I don't mind, however he would like to grieve is fine with me.
The roommates are moving out today seeing the apartment semi-empty makes me nervous about how far Thomas and I have until we're even close to ready to move mid-July! We'll have a lot on our plates for the next couple weeks.

Until next time,
Kate

We're here!

2009-06-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

We got here yesterday around noon and have been busy birds ever since. I left my laptop at home so that Thomas could play so I'm wiritng this from my iphone so bare with me :) Yesterday we went to beach after arriving around noon we stayed until it started raining. We took a nap and then got ready to go to the boardwalk! I have some pictures to upload but since I'm not really a tourist in Ocean City anymore I keep forgetting to take my camera! Well and I can't upload them from my phone. So stay tuned for pics soon! Todays been pretty crappy so far so we're not sure what we're doing next. Happy Thursday!
Kate

on a sadder note...

2009-06-23T21:44:00.003-04:00

I forgot to mention in my earlier post about the train collision that took place all too close to home for me. Yesterday at rush hour on the red line of the DC metro train two trains collided head on driving on the same track. As of earlier today at least nine people are deceased and many more injured. I just ask you to keep the victims and their families in your prayers and hope that the big guy up there will look after the survivors and the ones still struggling for their lives.

You can find more information regarding the accident here.

finally 85 and sunny!

2009-06-23T19:52:00.007-04:00

It feels like forever that we've had a real summer day around here! Finally today was beautiful enough that I was able to make it to my cousins' pool.

Hi, from the poolside :)

Unfortunately I had company with me...

And yes, underneath of those bad boys is the culprit. The paint can that caused this mess. Luckily it's actually starting to feel better. I've been icing it since last night, and there is an indefinite bruise across three toes, but luckily I don't think anything is broken and I can actually bend my toes again...slightly. I think that I might not need the crutches tomorrow, and I might even be able to go to the gym sooner than I thought!

Well tomorrow just became alot more exciting than it was. I was planning on going to the beach (Ocean City, MD) this week for a few days and Kira was headed down as well and now we're leaving a day early and staying at my grandparents! Since the next two days are going to be amazing weather we're totally syked. Can't wait to have a drink by the pool, or lounge on the beach by the waves!
I haven't decided whether I'm taking my laptop or not. We have one to share between Thomas and I and I may decide to leave it for him. So I may be posting soon, and if not I'll be back Friday with details!
Well my real housewives of new jersey reunion is about to come on! So I'm going to be watching and trying to pack as well, Have a great night all!
Kate

stupid paint can...

2009-06-22T23:54:00.002-04:00

So, I bought a few cans of paint today discounted at Walmart and they rolled right out of the cart and on to my right foot. :( Not good. It hurt and felt okay at first until I tried to bend my toes and I can't move them. Since already know from my mom breaking her toes a few years back that they can't do anything to help it, I'm not going to bother going to the doctors for it. I don't think that I broke the toes, I just think that they are very heavily bruised. My friend Amanda lent me crutches and I'm on them now until it feels better! I'm pretty tired now but I'll post tomorrow with more info about today's events!
Good night,
Kate

Our Bonefish non-father's day dinner!

2009-06-22T11:22:00.004-04:00

Kira and I spent our lovely father's day comforting each other, for our lack of decent father figures in our lives. :) What better way to comfort than with an awesome dinner and sweet desert! We headed to Bonefish and of course started out with Bang Bang Shrimp,

Kira got Grilled Sea Bass

and I got Grilled Mahi Mahi with spinach & crab on top

Afterward we headed next door to Coldstone for some really good ice cream I had been craving forever!
Today so far has been relaxing, Thomas and I have been lounging in the bed until he had to leave for work. I have to work today as well at three so I probably won't have time to get any fun stuff in. But I'll be sure to keep you updated anyways!

all work and no play

2009-06-20T21:57:00.008-04:00

This weekend so far has just been so uneventful. I worked this morning which is never really fun, especially since it begins at 7 am and I'd rather be doing a million other things! I got off and finished some laundry, cleaned the room and started packing a few things in order to get ready to move!! I didn't get very far with the packing because...

(image: Bravotv.com)

I was too busy indulging in my guilty pleasure.. the Real Housewives of New Jersey. I did feel bad too because I've already seen the episode they were airing about 3 times. For some reason I just can't help it.

Tonight Thomas and I made it a quick one for dinner at Chipotle, I got my usual
and saved half for lunch tomorrow... if it makes it that long ;)

Other than that like I said before today was pretty boring. Besides being a housewife and completing my daily chores, haha... I did sand down some worn parts on my mirror and sand the spice rack to get that ready for painting.

Still not sure what to paint it but I guess I'll figure that out when it gets closer.

I still have to stain the mirror lightly to give it it's antique feel back. But at least I finished with the cosmetic "damage" part.

No other projects for me today although I did a lot of research on crafts and even browsed the "free" section of craigslist looking for more projects to start :) I am surprised that today was the first day I thought to look there. There are so many old items that just need a little TLC. If I let myself email everyone that I wanted to today I'd have more furniture than I could fit in our apartment!

Now I just need to learn how to reupholster and I'll feel completely accomplished in the DIY department!

Well that's all I have for you tonight folks. Tomorrow I work in the morning and should have a date with the gym as well. Until next time,
Kate

upcoming cute crafts :)

2009-06-19T21:35:00.015-04:00

First and the easiest project I want to take on would be these...
Fabric covered aluminum pen cups, Kira did a version of these as well with scrapbook paper, hopefully when reading this she'll post her pics at raindywednesdaymornings.blogspot.com... hint hint ;)

I like the idea of doing them with fabric, and in this picture I also like the labeled jar. Both of these can be done with recycled aluminum cans and glass spaghetti sauce jars or something of the sort.
And to the right is an example done in sheet
music cardstock. >>>

The one on the left is an example of
the organizing jars from Martha Stewart
<<<

I'm on a huge fabric craft kick and can't wait to get started on fabric art. Here's an example found on womansday.com to the left and the two below were found on apartmenttherapy.com.

It seems really simple to do and personally I can't wait to get started on them. I will have to budget myself when it comes to purchasing fabric for them, so it may be a little while. So I'll ponder on my inspirations until then. Kira wants to create a headboard out of them which also seems like a really cool project to try. If we decided on a bed without a headboard it may also become an option for me :) Other than that I'm having trouble figuring out which room I would like to place them in. When I get started I will post the directions, or you can find them at womansday.com.

For personal projects I need to work on my antique candle holders. I am not sure how to go about this without ruining the original details/carvings on the sticks. So I will definitely need to do my research for this one.

Other than that I need to finish up my antique mirror, so that we can pack it for the move. For that I think that I am just going to sand the finished paint so that some of the old finish come through. I may decided to stain it later but for now I think that should suffice.

I also want to get started on refinishing the spice rack. I'll probably just sand it down and get it ready for paint. I won't start painting that until we move into the new kitchen probably.
The last thing I think I need to do is the flower arangement for the cute watering can that I bought last week. Other than that I can't think of anything at the moment that I will be starting soon.

As always if you have any ideas for me to try just leave me a comment!
Have a great saturday!
Kate

...a lazy friday

2009-06-19T20:27:00.006-04:00

Good Evening!

After waking up so early for the big iPhone release :) (I know I sound like a silly nerd) we have been so tired all day we really haven't had the energy to do much of anything! We came home and played around with them for a while, finally became hungry enough to outweigh the tiredness and headed to Dave & Buster's at the mall for our weekly lunch out.

I got this really great chicken club sandwich with an interesting avocado sauce and Thomas chose chicken tenders. Oh I love my 5 year old, well it was my treat since he helped me pay for the phone so at least he was a cheap date ; ) We took a nap around 4 and ever since then we've just been relaxing. I've been browsing the web for bedroom sets that I like. I know we're probably going with Ikea but I can't decide between these..

The Hemnes

Or the Malm

I like the Hemnes... alot, but both of us agree that we don't like footboards because we sleep so low on the bed our feet like to dangle.. :)
So we'll debate that until we move in most likely.
Well it will definitely be an early night for me as I do have to work bright and early tomorrow morning, so until tomorrow....
Have a great night and an awesome weekend!
Kate

iPhone frenzy.. or not so much

2009-06-19T09:00:00.004-04:00

We picked up our iphones bright and early this morning at 6:30 a.m. We were prepared for a long line full of sleepy and disgruntled people, and we were greeted by no one! We were the first people there! I know, total shock. Overall I'm in love already, it's way faster. The camera is awesome you can focus on certain parts of a picture as you would be able to with a fancy camera. You can voice command you're phone to call, text, by phone number or by name. I can watch youtube, play with pandora and tag songs from the radio with the click of a button. Well, for now I'm off to get some more sleep!
Kate

and Viola!

2009-06-18T22:59:00.000-04:00

I was eager to get started on my fabric box craft and I'm so glad I took this on! It looks amazing!
Another craft found on womansday.com, here's what I did:

Fabric-Covered Boxes Craft Project

Skill Level: Beginner

Materials:
Empty box
Enough fabric to cover the top, sides and bottom of box
Scissors
Mod Podge, or other craft glue
Paintbrush
2-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon

Directions:
1. Center the bottom of the box over the back side of the fabric. Trim the fabric so that there is enough to pull up and cover the sides, plus 1 inch.

2. Apply Mod Podge to the bottom of the box with the paintbrush. Place the box onto the back side of the fabric and smooth out any wrinkles.

3. Apply Mod Podge to one of the longer sides of the box, pull up the fabric to cover the side. Apply glue along the top inner edge of the box, fold over the fabric and press in place. Repeat on the other long side.

4. Apply Mod Podge to short sides of box, fold in the fabric as you would with a giftwrap, pull fabric up to cover the short ends. You may trim away excess at fabric corners and fold in raw edges before applying fabric to create a smoother finish if desired. Fold over and glue the raw edges of the fabric to the inside of the box.

5. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 to cover the lid.

6. Cut a 3-inch piece of ribbon and fold in half to form a loop. Glue the loop to the inside edge of the lid, letting loop extend about an inch. Let dry. Cover box with lid.

And here's mine:

Before

After

My biggest suggestions would be to pay attention to the amount of glue that you're applying to the box, especially if you're using a thin fabric. Too much and it will seep right through and leave a big nasty stain, as I realized with a small portion of the bottom of my box. I ironed the fabric before I started even though it doesn't say that in the directions. It took a little bit of time to get the last two sides to look pretty folded, because there is extra fabric underneath so I couldn't really find a way to make it totally smooth... but I'm no perfectionist. I also used a hot glue gun to get those sides to stick on the inside because they were thicker.

And I used mine to hold my fabrics :)

Well now I'm off to clean up my mess, and get some zzz's. Tomorrow's friday!
Bye for now,
Kate

today was our lucky day!

2009-06-18T20:08:00.001-04:00

You know how hard it is to find that perfect dress, ladies? And then we're expected to find the shoes to match? Ugh, I've been there quite a few times. Well I think I'll bring Kira with me from now on as we came for one and left with three! We were in search for a dress worthy of a fancy convention that she's attending with her boyfriend's family next week. First we came across these...

(I'm on the left)

And after debating we decided that the one she's in is too sexy for the convention, but perfect for her trip to Florida coming up next month, at 24.99 she scored on that on. The dress I'm in is Jones New York and wait, drum roll... totaled at 15.99, what a steal!

We headed out of JC Penny's and into Macy's and Kira and I agreed that Calvin Klein made this dress for her.

Here's my Proof^

It's such a pretty green color and it just pops with her skin :)

We found the perfect shoes to match after a quick bite to eat.

And then we headed to JoAnn's Fabrics to pick up some supplies to start my fabric box craft. I'll post instructions on that as I get going on it!
There was this cute antique/thrift shop next to it called Chesapeake Treasures so of course we had to go inside! I found these antique candle holders for 1$ each...

I love the little details on them!

I have also been saying forever that I have wanted a spice rack for our kitchen, but have never invested in one simply because they are an "investment" in themselves. So overtime I have bought a spice here and there and pretty much have a makeshift collection in a cabinet. So imagine my surprise when I found this wooden spice rack at the antique shop.
I'll most likely paint it to match our new kitchen when that time comes, but for 4$ I couldn't pass it up!

I'm going to make it an early night tonight as me and Thomas will both be waking tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn to beat the lines tomorrow and purchase our new Iphones. Yep, because I totally seem like the type of person who would be into all that kind of stuff. :)

I'm off to figure out how to start my next project!
Thanks for reading,
Kate

getting a definite late start...

2009-06-18T11:43:00.000-04:00

This morning I woke up disturbed at 6:00 with a jolt of thunder so loud it shook the apartment and set off several car alarms. I don't know if I mentioned it before but I am deathly afraid of storms, so needless to say I started crying as soon as I heard it. Thomas woke with me and immediately came to comfort but ended up snoring while holding me 2 minutes later. :) I had some trouble falling back asleep at that point and probably laid in bed for 3 hours until I finally did. I woke up at 11! Definitely not like me!

Well today my legs are sore from pushing at the gym yesterday, my pulled calf muscle is screaming at me, so I will probably take my off gym day today. I got Thomas breakfast this morning for being so sweet, and later today I am planning on helping Kira find a dress for an upcoming convention. It's pretty rainy and crappy outside right now, so another dreary day in Maryland to look forward to. :)

I'll let you know later how our day went!
Kate

My finished bottle project

2009-06-17T22:53:00.000-04:00

I also bought but forgot to mention this pink watering can from Antiques To Go in Pasadena, for $4.

Pictured with them are my little project that was originally found on womansday.com, cute enamel bottles. I used leftover San Pellegrino bottles to make them. Mine didn't turn out quite as good as the ones they pictured, mostly because I ran out of enamel paint and had to mix it with water :/ But I still think they're cute!

Here are the instructions:

Craft Project: Make Enameled Bottles

1. Buy dishwasher-safe enamel paint and surface conditioner (like Delta brand; $3.14 each at crafts stores).

2. Prime the glass by pouring a bit of conditioner into clean, dry bottles to coat the inside.

3. Pour out any excess. Once completely dry, coat the inside of the bottles with enamel, then then prop them each upside down in a jar or on a paper towel to catch drips.

4. Check periodically for the first hour, wiping any excess from the lips. Allow to dry completely for about 48 hours.

Enjoy!

Kate

Happy Hump Day!

2009-06-17T18:18:00.000-04:00

I hope that everyone else has one day of the week that they can call their own. Ya know, one day where you can really kick back and relax, do your own thing. Whatever you please all day at least once a week.

Well that day for me and my friend Kira is Wednesday. We started with a brisk walk around Ellicott City while browsing in a view stores, and then we headed to lunch at our weekly joint Panera Bread. :) After lunch we made it a light day at the gym, we warmed up with 20 minutes on the treadmill, about 10 running, 10 walking. We did abs and arms and stretched about called it a day there. We decided we were just in the mood to browse so we stopped at thrift stores, good wills, and little antique shops until we were both dead tired! I managed to find a few things I liked and purchased...

This rectangular wicker basket(3$), which I think I'll place in the kitchen with my cookbooks.

And this nice big wicker basket at the Good Will for 3 $ as well, which holds as many books as I could shove :)

I should actually be getting some laundry in before Thomas comes home so we can relax together, but I was too anxious to share my day, so off I go!

Happy Hump Day!
Kate

PS. Yep, in the background of the pic you guessed it is a finished picture of the mirror, well for now. That is until I get the guts to ruin the paint job!

The end to a long day..

2009-06-16T23:12:00.000-04:00

Well before getting off work my maintenance director informed me that my tire was flat. After a mad panic, and convincing my boyfriend to help me!.. he came and put my donut on and I made it down the highway doing 45 mph to get to the dealership for the service dept to plug the hole that a nail made in my tire :(

After that I made it to my Aunt's in time for dinner, to my uncle's in time for his birthday party and at the gym at 9, so not exactly as early as I planned but alas it worked out. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical and realized my calf muscle was starting to ache. So I've been stretching it and icing and soaking it and hopefully I have not pulled the muscle! Because I have a gym date with Kira in the morning!

Have a good night!
Kate

some bad news today...

2009-06-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

Thomas calls me at work to tell me they let go of his boss today. :( Not only was he Thomas' favorite manager, we also developed a friendship with him and his family, so this was not very good news to start work with for Thomas. :( Thomas was recently promoted to the internet manager, and hopefully his job is safe, as we are moving in exactly one month!

Well on a lighter note, the quarter auction was a whole lot of fun!! We didn't win anything! Which stunk, because we definitely went through about 30 dollars in quarters for each of us! But it all went to charity so I don't feel too bad about writing that off in the back account. They had about 6 different vendors, from Pampered Chef, Home Interiors and such and the bids were generally around 50 cents. There were a few things I had my eye on, but alas no win for me. We had fun either way, and it all went to a good friend of our family's scholarship fund in memory of their grandaughter.

Today will be another busy day, last night my manager called and asked if I was able to make it into work this morning at 7 and I was happy to pick up the hours and it only modified my schedule slightly. Once I get off I will head to my Aunt's house to visit with my Nanny and take a trip to see my Aunt Juls in the nursing home. Then we're shopping for my uncle's birthday, totally last minute since his party is right after that! And hopefully that won't end too late so I can make it to the gym before 9. Thomas worked a double shift today so that his partner could have off so he won't be off until 9 so maybe I'll have a chance to comfort him when I get back from the gym!

PS. The antique mirror project totally took longer than I expected, the painter's tape apparently didn't cover everything somehow, or the mirror shifted and paint dried all over some of the edges of the mirror. So I'm still working at carefully chipping that off, and then I'll post the final product!

Have a happy Tuesday!
Kate

oh how i LOVE summer break

2009-06-15T15:45:00.000-04:00

It is so nice to wake up when I'm no longer tired, & read in my pjs until noon! Oh, how I love love love summer break. This morning I woke around 9 or so, decided against showering and dressing right away and snuggled into my book with a cup of tea. I'm reading the Host by Stephenie Meyer, since I'm done with the Twilight series I wanted to see what else she had to offer. In the beginning it was VERY sci-fi like, but I think 300 pages later I'm starting to see the love story building.. lol. Around 11 or so I decided I was ready to move, so I headed to the gym and did 45 minutes on the elliptical. I love being able to workout when my body feels like it, not when I have to squeeze it in between class, homework and work. And so far this summer noonish has been the best time, there's hardly anyone at the gym and by the time I'm done I'm ready for lunch! Tonight there's a view other things on my list to do, I'm supporting a friend at her father's viewing :(, and then I'm heading to a quarter auction for charity. I've never been to one of these so this should be interesting!
As always, thanks for reading!
Kate

my antique mirror project...

2009-06-14T23:27:00.000-04:00

So while Kira and I were trying to find things to do last week we decided to head into Ellicott City to do a little antiquing. We headed into some overpriced rooms at first and then into Taylor's Antique Mall (www.taylorsantiquemall.com), by far our favorite antique shop.. if you can call it a shop! It's definitely more like a mall, three stories and about two buildings wide. One of the booths was having a sixty percent off sale and I found an adorable antique mirror for originally 24 $! It was by far in bad shape, had a scratched off price sticker stuck to it, alot of scratches on the frame, but I fell in love with it, and with the discount it came to be only about 10 bucks!

After the painter's tape, before painting.

So I decided I was going to redo it, and started my project yesterday afternoon. I did a little sanding to get most of the old paint off which was now a shade of dirt gray and some of the dings out. Today I started painting, and I'm pretty sure once the paint dries I will try and distress it some to make it still look antiquey :)

Here's my progress so far..

The lighting is a little off in this one because the lamp is right above it, but it's a shade of cream. Still waiting for the paint to dry and for ideas to come to me about how I will distress it. Any ideas are welcome!
Thanks for reading!
Kate

Allow me to introduce myself!

2009-06-14T09:32:00.000-04:00

For those of you who know me, this will sound totally repetitive hopefully... and for those of you who do not I am Kate, and I'm a 20 year old college student. This blog will probably turn out pretty boring, since I don't lead an extremely significant or cool life.. but I hope you'll join me either way. :) I attend University of Maryland-Baltimore County in Baltimore Maryland, I'll be a junior in the fall. I major in psychology and am hoping to get my masters degree eventually, and would like to be an adolescent therapist. I have a wonderful boyfriend of almost 4 years, Thomas, whom I live with in Odenton, Maryland for now.

Thomas and I on Our 3rd Anniversary

We have one beautiful baby, a 2 year old Italian (Miniature) Greyhound named Parker who currently lives with his Grandma for lack of space reasons. :(

Our Baby: Parker

I have a really awesome family, with 2 sisters and 2 brothers, and practically four parents. My mom means the world to me, being a single mother and putting herself through nursing school while in recovery from an addiction, I could not possibly have a better role model in my life. I also have the best grandparents a girl could ask for, they would do anything for their baby and I love them more than the world. I have the best friend a friend could ask for, Kira. I would do anything for her! We have lunch once and week, travel, shop and talk at least once a day. We are the definition of best friends forever.

Kira and I in New York

For work I'm part time at the Hampton Inn by the B.W.I. airport. I am a guest service representative, so I pretty much am a receptionist and a customer service worker :/ which can be pretty frustrating at times. I only work just a little bit a week, mostly to keep myself sane with school work, but I love it there. I've made some pretty wonderful friends and it's really a great place to be!

I am on somewhat of a healthy lifestyle journey I guess you could call it. I recently lost give or take 47 pounds or so, simply by cutting out most fast food (except for Chick-fil-A of course!), soda and most processed snacks and working out somewhat . I am by no means perfect however, I am still overweight and I do not eat well everyday or go to the gym every time I'm supposed to ;) but I'm still working on it!

Well I guess more about my hobbies and such, besides school and work of course I love to shop. I love a good bargain, so of course favorite stores are probably TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Old Navy and Target. I love old classic books, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scarlet Letter, Pride and Prejudice and so on. I could go on forever about books. I love Twilight and I don't know really care what you think about it! :P No really, definitely my favorite series. I know most people think it's just book for teens but it's much more than that! I love the sun, tanning is one of my favorite pastimes. My grandparents have a house in Ocean City, MD so I try to visit for a few days at least twice a month in the summertime. I do love to work out, though I don't as often as I should, there's just something about the adrenaline rush from your tenners on the pavement. I love little projects and purchasing cool things for our apartment. I love cooking, and trying to make old recipes more healthy.

This blog will basically be about my life, college, work, and random cool things: diy projects, recipes i find, my upcoming move in date for our new apartment. Pictures of things I come by on my way through life!

Thanks for Reading!
Kate