Something I Haven’t Seen In a While

True confession:

Not all that long ago I had kind of a bad rep. My room’s carpet wasn’t recognizable. It didn’t see the light of day for, like, years.

Funny story actually, on my wedding day, my father walked in my room. The first words out of his mouth were, “Your floor! I didn’t know you had a grey carpet?! It’s nice! I don’t think I’ve seen it before. (turns and yells down the hallway) Hey! Guys look! Mindy’s floor!” Ummmm…. Hi there father! I’m your first born in her wedding dress! That’s what you’re excited about?! My floor?!

I used to have various piles around my room. One of which resembled Mount Vesuvius. It was referred to by my family and close friends simply as “The Ramp”. Rocco used to run up the mountain of clothes and shoes in order to get onto my bed, hence the name “The Ramp”.

Needless to say, organization has never been a strong suit of mine (to put it mildly).

When Mr. FSL moved into our house with me, I’m sure that he was unaware that he married Pig Pen. He heard a few rumors, but never saw the elusive Ramp.

Image via Wikipedia

I had a clean slate moving in. Literally. We really had nothing. When we bought our nightstands for our bedroom, they were empty.

One year and 2 months later, his top drawer had a few important papers in it. Mine looked like this:

Old habits die slowly, what can I say. Nobody’s perfect.

This past weekend, something came over me. I cleared out so many parts of our house that clutter started popping up in. I saw on some blog (so sorry I can’t remember which one!!!) last week that this woman put only things she used right before bed and in the morning in her nightstand. Genius I tell you.

Here’s a list of some of the crazy things I found in the black hole top drawer:

Old catalogs
Rocco’s toothbrush (!)
Expired coupons
My wisdom tooth in a tooth fairy box (ew)

Never before worn underwear with tags on them still
A picture frame My birth certificate
Memory cards for my camera
24 birthday cards from August
Ticket stubs
Receipts CD’s Chargers to phones that I no longer have

I am a complete weirdo. If I was to be mentally evaluated base solely on the contents of my nightstand, I’d be locked up. C’mon, ticket stubs, underwear & a tooth?! I can’t believe I publicly am admitting to any of this, but hey, It’s my blog.

Most of the junk was tossed. I put only things I’d use in bed in it ( I’m a copycat).

The new contents of my top drawer:
A vanilla cookie scented candle
A lighter
Mints
Emergency chocolates
Chapstick Nail polish
Kindle & charger
Phone & charger

Oh Em Ghee.

That’s ah niiiiice!

I actually rigged it so my kindle & cell phone charger wires come through the back of the drawer so they charge while tucked away!

Pshhhht…. Who you calling Pig Pen now?

Anyone doing any Spring cleaning in the Winter like Backwards Mindy? What’s in your nightstand? Be honest. I showed you my tooth fairy box for crying out loud!

DIY Clothespin Christmas Card Display

Last December was our 2nd month in our first (and current) home.  In other words, we had nothing.  This included a place to display our Christmas cards.  This is what I came up with last year since the only things we had hanging on our walls were 2 really big screws.

*Hangs head in embarassment*

I literally didn’t even have thread or twine.  I was too lazy to go buy it, and I ended up using dental floss to hang my Christmas cards…DENTAL FLOSS! Not only was I not ashamed to post about the fact that I used it, I even make an attempt to justify it.  Shameless people, shameless.

See that dazzling post by clicking here.

Many things have changed since then, thankfully.  Most for the better.  This year’s Christmas card display also costed me nothing but a few minutes (and I still had my dignity afterward).  I’ve seen this project before and thought it was cute so I gave it a whirl since I had all of the materials.

I had the empty frame that I’ve been hoarding saving for the perfect project. I actually hid this because Mr. FSL wanted to throw it out so many times…shhh!

Next, I swiped a few thumbtacks from our cork board and the spool of jute twine that I used to make this wreath.

I tied a knot at the end of the twine and tacked it into the back.

I spaced the 5 rows pretty evenly, and was ready to display my cards & photos using old clothespins.

I made this the night before our Annual Ugly Sweater Party (which will be recapped next week) so instead of cards, I hung up photos from last year’s party.

When the party was over, I took most of those down and put up our cards.

Free & Easy!

Small Bath Makeover

The little bathroom (as we fondly call it) is the small one attached to our bedroom.  I’ve never dedicated a post to its makeover, and it’s actually one of my favorite rooms in the house. 

This is what it looked like the day we closed on our house.

 Yes.  Those are some yellow walls. 

 Let’s not forget the matching yellow toilet, complete with the lovely robin’s egg blue toilet seat ;P   & the sexy linoleum floor. 

Um, dark, dirty, and outdated.  Not a good combo, and definitely not a place that I want to shower and feel clean!

Here’s our bathroom now:

It took about 3 coats of ivory paint, new slate tiles (actually ceramic but they look like slate to me), a new sink, mirror, light, toilet,  okay, I guess just about everything is new.  It’s not that costly when the room you are trying to re-do is small.  

That cabinet above the toilet is brand spanking new.  I bought that badboy on clearance for $50 when I went crazy at Bed Bath & Beyond the day I bought the vacuum and floor stuff (scroll back about 2 0r 3 posts to hear about that and the throwdown with the lady in the return line 😀 ).

It’s mostly my bathroom since I’m the only one that gets primped and ready in there, so I stocked the cabinet with my junk toiletries.

Complete with my favorite Marilyn Monroe rocks glass turned fancy cotton swab and makeup brush holders!

I put my favorite potty time photo on display.  LOL!  This was in one of my first posts!  (Check that out here for a stroll down memory lane).

Any recent renovations in your casa?

DIY Dreaming

I was researching do-able DIY projects for this weekend (the 1st weekend in months that I have at least 1 day to myself).  I fell into the black hole of blogs for 2 hours an undisclosed length of time.  I’m not sure if I could round-up the resources for this weekend, but this project I stumbled upon has got me thinking.

They took this thrift store desk

and turned it into this

 

See the whole how-to post here.

I’ll definitely be doing this project in the next few weeks.  It’s a pelmet.  Super easy, and looks very neat and tidy. 

Then I found my first project to tackle for the summer.  I literally gasped then squealed out loud when I saw this one.

I was over at Ikeahackers and peeped this.

This lucky girl got her boyfriend to dream up a shoe closet for her.  They used a bookcase with an extension piece for the top, and added a thin bookcase for the side.  Seriously, I die.  Easy, do-able, functional, and GAH!  Look at it!! See the link here.

What are your fave DIY dream projects? What do-it-yourself home imprivements do you plan on tackling soon?  Post up the link in your comment 😀  Inspire me!

xo

Mindy

What’s Cooking At Finding Silver Linings?

A lot! I was looking for my veggie packed slow cooker chicken soup recipe so that I can whip it up for dinner tonight. Since I lose everything I write down, this blog is also my recipe box 🙂 . While fumbling around, and trying to sift through pages of recipes, I realized it was a pain in the you-know-what to find.  I’ve decided it was time to start some Spring cleaning around here.  If you look up, you’ll notice a new tab with all of the recipes that have been featured on FSL right at my your fingertips!

 

You can click here or click on the tab above to take a peek.  Bon Apetit 😀

Do you have a recipe that you’d like to feature on this blog? Submit it by email to FindingSilverLinings@gmail.com.

Have you ever used one of my recipes?  Which one? Loved it?  Hated it? Let’s talk it out.

IKEA HACKERS!!

If you are like me, and are obsessed with all things DIY, then you need to see this. 

Many blogs have done some sort of Ikea hack.  For those of you that never heard this term, here’s an excerpt from the site’s “ABOUT” page:

IkeaHackers.net is a site about modifications on and repurposing of Ikea products. Hacks, as we call it here, may be as simple as adding an embellishment, some others may require power tools and lots of ingenuity.

I am sucked in like a friggin black hole. It’s been hours, and the only reason that I am back to the real world (AKA blogging) is to share this link because I’m so excited I can’t stand it.

This bay window seat is on my To-Do List also.  It’s a bookcase on its side with cushions on top.

I’d add some fun cushions on top.  Maybe something like these from UrbanOutfitters.

I’m picturing it riiiiight here under this window:

 

 

 

 

Anything you’d like to Ikea hack?  Check the link, & let me know what you’re itching to make (or should I say re-make :))

I Drink Bad Wine

Seriously. 

We had 3/4 of a bottle of Cabernet left over from the party last week.  I threw my favorite sparkling, dazzling, glittering, iced out wine cork into the top,

 and put it in our wine rack.

My husband is a baseball coach, and last night they had a game.  He comes home late on game nights, so I popped off the blinged out wine stopper and poured myself a glass (and thoroughly enjoyed it ;)). 

It was a pretty big bottle, and I knew I was not polishing off the entire thing, so I did what I do best. Enter google.  I searched “how long does red wine keep once opened”. 

Well, well, well.  As it turns out, this is apparently common knowledge in the vino connoisseur world.  Winos everywhere know that this stuff is technically “bad” after being opened for just 3 days -even if it’s re-corked.  Aaaaand it’s supposed to be refrigerated -even if it’s red! 

I always thought: the older the wine, the better!  What gives?! 

News to me!! I know you keep whites in the fridge, but reds?!

Beer & “girlie” bottled drinks are refrigerated, this I know.

What?  You guys actually keep food in the fridge?!? 😉

Did you already know this?  Are there any wine experts out there?   Will anything disgusting or horrible happen to me if I continue to drink “stale” wine?

I’m Thinking Shelves

The other half of my unbelievably large, empty wall is nekkid. (Pay no attention to the hideous ceiling fan.  That thing’s getting the boot soon) Read more about that sad bare wall story here.

I’m thinking I want 3 shelves ala Young House Love’s first house.

 

I know that I want 3 shelves in this space.  What I don’t know is what color.  At first, I wanted white. My paint color is similar tho theirs, and I love how clean and fresh they look. Black shelving popped into my head for a second, but then I thought it might look cheap.   I looked around at all of our wood trim all around our house and now I’m leaning toward buying wood shelves and staining them to match all of the other trim.  Ideally, I’d love some worn looking salvaged wood to coordinate with our wine rack (which was a tag sale score at the cost of 50 cents!).

I like the idea of old-looking wood to try to keep a raised ranch looking more charming rather than *yawn* contractor & cookie cutter. 

Does anyone know where to find salvaged wood for cheap?  I’ve found that it’s more expensive than new wood (which I thought was odd). 

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Our Entryway Wall Moodboard

If you’ve been following along here on Finding Silver Linings, then you know about the Restoration Hardware mirror scandal.  After sulking around and whining to my mother, cousins, and husband, I pulled myself together and made a new moodboard to inspire me.  This one has a little more swank and a lot more sparkle 😉 Here’s what I came up with:

1. Rich Cream by Benjamin Moore is the color of that room.  This will provide a bright, warm, neutral background .

2. The Pierre Mirror from Zgallerie.com is exactly what I’m looking for.  A large, round, statement piece for the wall.  The geometric pattern is bold and a bit masculine, not frilly.  The graphic shape has just enough detail without overwhelming the simplicity. Plus, it looks like jewelry for the wall 😉

3. The Montgomery Console from Pier1 Imports.  We have this piece already, and just moved him to a different location since Simon’s arrival.

4.  Apothecary jars add shine but since they are clear, they don’t hold any weight visually.  Plus, I can fill them whenever I want a small change. They will find their home on the tray (#5)

5. A fuchsia serving tray would add a playful pop of color.  I love fuchsia mixed with metallics for a luxe vibe.  The tray can sit on the lower section of the console.

6. A textured silver vase loaded with pink & purple blossoms keep things feminine, but not over-the-top. This should sit on top of the trunks (#7)

7.  The stack of  trunks add a touch of vintage globe-trotting cool to this space.  It keeps everything from feeling too uptight & posh.

8. 2 Textured silver lamps will sit on top of the console to keep the look balanced and add some much-needed light to the area (there are no ceiling lights in this room).

9. A stack of deep brown & a couple of fuchsia hardcover books keep things looking smart & lived in with a touch of pretty color to tie it all together.

FSL will be churning out moodboards for inspiration (ala YoungHouseLove.com).  If you are interested in a personalized moodboard for your home, contact me here to discuss the details.

What do you think? Do you plan things out before you shop?  Or do you kamikaze purchase?

Simon Says

If you’ve been reading over the past week, our kitchen has been going through a bit of a transformation. Nothing drastic (I wish I could tell you that I painted my cabinets :() but I thought I was Martha and made some new curtains and hung some freshly painted artwork. 

{IMG from DIY Network}

 

Our cabinet space is less than roomy to say the least.  I needed some kitchen storage, and the Montgomery console table just wasn’t cutting it anymore.   It was nice to look at, but there was no place to stash anything. 

My mother-in-law and I paid a visit to Pier1.  I love that place! I could have gone crazy in there.  I actually spotted a light that I really liked too, but ended up with Simon!

Yesterday I got a phone call that I needed to pick up the new addition! 

We unpacked him, popped in the glass doors, & I loaded him up. 

Aint he cute? 

 I chose the Simon sideboard for a few reasons. 

1. I needed more storage.

2. I like the way the espresso wood contrasts with the green wall.

3. It’s counter height.

4. The shape is modern, but not futuristic.

5. I love the vertical lines in the glass doors.

 

I decided to put some of my white dishes, bowls, and mugs along with some lighter wood and stainless kitchen-y items in to free up some much-needed cabinet space.  I chose to put these specific colors in because they contrast with Simon’s dark tone. 

 

I placed some white plates with some cheerful citrus fruit for a colorful kick on top. 

I get happier just being in my kitchen!

Now, all I have to do is throw a few small pictures next to the new artwork and I think I’m done with that wall for a while 😉