Office Redo - Part 1 of Probably Way Too Many!

There is just no way to hide it.... I am SO SUPER EXCITED to be sitting in the new office as a type this. No more hogging my mom-in-laws computer for hours on end. {Thanks mama! You are so kind to have let me used it and I love you to pieces! }

The truth is that there is still some work to be done in the office. Lots of decorating{the fun part} and still a lot of hauling books and files back in{the practical, not so fun stuff.}

Why yes, I always have an office chair in my kitchen. Doesn't everyone?

But can't wait any longer! I've got to show you some things that have been done. And show you the sneak preview of some amazing furniture pieces. We're talking major savings! Like $2.99 for my desk! Can a get a huge wooo hoooo for savings!

Wait till you see the transformation... You'll not believe your eyes!

I think after it is all put together, I might do something like the price my space things like Nester did just to show how economically you can put a room together with thrifty shopping, several gifted/reworked items and lots of elbow grease. That would be kinda fun, huh? We'll have to see how far the room get's this coming week :)

Thrifted curtain rod with ring clips.

But till the room is done, I bring you Part 1 of what may be an ongoing, everlasting series :) {{There really are too many projects, crafts, painting redos, and tips that I want to share that it would really be way to much to cram into one post.}}

LOVE the details on my new desk!

Hubby and I have been talking for quite a while about changing the office space a bit. My little desk was just not working for crafting and the colors in there were too loud once we took his Hot Wheels collection to his office at work.

Puppy enjoys one last time on the Hot Wheels chair.

Yea, you read that right. My hubby collects Hot Wheels. And no he's not the meanie kind of adult collector who runs over little kids to get treasure hunts cars at shows and shops. Just want to make that clear.

Do you remember the show "While you were out?" {{I know this seems like a weird transition, bear with me... it'll make sence in a moment.}} That's the one where a family member was sent out for a few days and the spouce, unsuspecting family members and random neighbors came over to help with a complete redo of a room. For my hubby's birthday 6 years ago, I recruited my mom, cousin and grandma to come on over and help me pull off an office redo like that. He had just started collecting hot wheels at that point and really wanted an office that was inspired by the flame colors.

{{I'll try to find a before photo and scan it for ya}}

So we worked all day while my bro-in-law distracted hubby with pizza and video games. We painted black, with some red and orange stripes on the bottom portion of the wall, got a bunch of fancy display holders for the collections, and then surprised him with the great redo. He loved it! whew! Thank goodness after all that work :)

My new music corner.

But here we are six years later, the collection has moved to the office at work where all can see it and we needed to remake the office into more of a serene space for two people to enjoy - and not be tripping over eachother.

After doing some soul searching and extensive planning in the Home Depot parking lot, we ran in with a very detailed list and schedule of what we needed to gut, paint, and remake the office space. We settled on a color that reminds me of a mocha. And I love it. Peaceful, calm and really makes me thirsty for iced coffee.

{{Insert a quick run to coffee stand here}}

I'll try to remember the name of our yummy mocha walls - we accidentally threw away the lid. But I promise, they are so pretty {even if they don't photograph well at night} and they really make the Polar Bear white trim pop. Isn't that the best name for white? Polar Bear! I just love it.

Even the desk got a coat of Polar Bear. So pretty!

After painting the trim and door white in the office, I decided that I would see what white trim would look like in the living room. So I attacked one very visible portion of the trim with polar bears and I am in love! All the wood color of our doors, cabinets and trim are a sickening pale pinkish-brown with overly dark wood grain. Every piece of "wood" that came with the house is this color and it is just not appealing to the eyes or the stomach. I dreamed of putting all new items in. But then it dawned on me that I should just be greatful for the home, not spend money I don't have and take pride in the fact that I could paint it myself.

So we now have a 5 foot portion of the living room trim painted. It will be a long project. Take many evenings to paint the whole home. But I will finally have white trim I have dreamed of, it will have cost me much less than the origional plan and yes I will be covered in paint for three consecutive years.

But that's ok with me!

I LOVE working on my home. Even a detail like trim work makes me proud to feather my nest... and thankful that I have one to feather :)

What parts of your nest have you feathered lately? Are you painting, sewing, restaging? I'd love to know!

All photos taken by your's truly.

Spring Fling Swap with Lovely Lori

Have you ever been to Life as Lori blog? She is too cool! So crafty, super sweet and she has some of the coolest parties to participate in.

A month ago, I signed up to be part of her Spring Fling gift swap. It was so much fun! All the participants were matched up with a partner and then we exchanged some info {likes, dislikes, colors, etc.} I was paired up with the ever talented Little Lizzard King. She has so much cool stuff on her blog and I want it all!!!! {nothing piggie about me... right?.... oink!}

The theme was spring gifts. And what says spring more than white fluffy towels? I can almost smell the yummy freshness just thinking about it! So you can imagine my delight when my package arrived with three monogramed towels. White with black monogram for my master bath and yellow/white with blue momogram for the guest bath.

Look how cute they were wrapped up!

I would model them for you... but well you know... they're towels!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Guest Post with Kitschalicious

I'm bak to the land of internet! Wahoo!!!!

Can I just tell you that I am one of those people who really enjoys getting away from the electronics and gadgets when I can. In the past, losing the internet for 5 days would have been totally fine with me.

That was then. This is now... blogging has totally changed the way a surf the net. {{ Yep, I'm so cool I use words like "surf" even though I can barely stand on my own two feet on dry land!}}

It was like being cut off from all my sweet, crafty neighbors and not being able to ask them into my home or be able to stop by theirs. Needless to say, I went through blogging withdrawls.

But after much grunting, huffing and puffing, moving and rearranging hubby got my computer all hooked up again... at 3AM last night. 

Thank you, my handsome man!

And so, in the words of some cute dog from a cartoon movie....

"I feeeeeel so aliiiiiive!!!!"

My faithful pup durring the office remodel.

And the internet could not have come at a better time. For today, I have a guest post for you! The super cute, totally awesome, chocolate loving Adrienne and I are swapping blogs for the day. How fun is that! After reading her super awesome post here at "too Blessed to Stress" go on over to her blog Kitschalicious, read her archive posts and follow. You'll just love her to pieces!

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Hello too Blessed to Stress Fans! This is Adrienne from Kitschalicious! I am so glad to be visiting you today and I'm especially honored that Emily had agreed to do a blog swap with me! Isn't she just the best? Before I get started, I wanted to let you know that if you haven't tried her Death By Chocolate, it should be a priority on your list! Just sayin'! (Of course, this is also coming from a chocoholic!)

As I was racking my brains while eating chocolate and drinking my Mt. Dew, I came to realize that one thing everybody has in common is storage. You may have all your goodies stored just as you want, or you may be like me and, well, have an organized mess. One day, I was thinking about what I could do to get a little more organized, but on the cheap. First things first, look around your home. You may not realize what valuable storage items you may have for free. For example:

Take these shelves I had. Talk about ooogly! I bought these at a garage sale over 5 years ago for $0.25/each and totally forgot about them. They were stored in a closet that long! So, I dug them out of the closet, cleaned them, painted them, and used mod podge to adhere some of my scrapbook paper to make these:

These are now hanging in my craft room storing my ribbons, bags, and buttons! The best part? The project costed me nothing!

If you have some smaller things that need to be stored (and out of reach of little hands like I do), go to the thrift store! You never know what you may find. For instance I found this:

I bought this at the Goodwill for $1.99. I know what you're thinking, "boy does this girl find some ugly things!" But just wait and see what you could do with a little spray paint, flower embellishments and some brads! You get this:

That's right! A little embellishment rack. To be honest, it's not quite finished! I didn't have a red paint pen, but as soon as I get one (at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 minus my 40% off coupon), I will write the word "Embellishments" in a fancy script font! Then will it be perfect! The great thing about this project is, I can store my items by color using my flowers as my guide!

Another great storage solution is clothing! Unfortunately, I didn't take a before picture so you'll have to use your imagination. *Gasp!* I know, I really didn't want to make you think, but hey, I did this project way before I even knew what a blog was! Okay, back to clothing. There is so much you can do with it! Example? Of course! I took an old button-up shirt that my son doesn't fit any more, cut off the sleeves and sewed them shut, then sewed the bottom shut. This is what I got:

A clothing pin holder! Or, if you don't use clothes pin, you can store whatever you want really. Lost socks, anyone?

For your little girl (or yourself even), how about a barrette holder. I bought a frame at the dollar store, took out the glass (which can be used for another project), glued black cardstock to the back, added some ribbon, and viola!:

Instant hair clip holder! The great thing about this project, is you can use any size frame to hold as many barrettes and clips as you possibly want!

What I love about storage these days, is that not only is it functional, but you can really use your creative ability to make it part of your decor as well! I hope my ideas inspired you to get creative with your storage!
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Thank you so much Adrienne! Love your awesome ideas. I so need a spice rack now :)Yes, need.

How are you changing or improving your storage this spring? Have you posted some awesome storage solutions on your blog? Let me know - I'd love to check them out!

Tomorrow I'll be back to regular posting and doing some catching up since the office redo... and maybe a photo or two of the progress. We're down to the fun part, decorating!

Best is Yet to Come

Wowie! Our four day weekend has flown by. Hubby and I took Thrusday and Friday off to do some home improvements and repairs (with the help of my fantastic parents, love them so much!)

One of the things that we tackled is the office. Remember the inspiration pieces from this post? Well, the office is officially "remodeled" and I am spending the rest of today putting it back together - and bribing hubby to hook up the internet again so I can post photos of the new space. I think you'll love it!

Thanks goodness for my mom-in-law who let me hog her computer all morning so I could get caught up on messages and send off this quick note!

So in the words of blue eyes himself, "The best is yet to come!"

Here's a video of Sinatra singing, just incase you want a little something to hold you over till the office photos are revealed :)

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!!!!

That's right ladies!

Today is the day I announce the winner of my 7 Day Giveaway!

Image found here 

By the way, what on earth does Chicken Dinner have to do with Winning? I know it has something to do with blackjack, at least that's what some documentary years ago said. Now that this post is titled just that, I really hope it's not some weird or obscene thing... hmmm maybe I should google it..... nah, I have too much to do tonight to afford getting caught up in googling. Maybe I should title the post "Winner, Winner beef is what's for dinner!" Or "Winner, Winner I wish I were thinner!" hmmm... both are fantastic options {please insert my sillyness due to Sweet Tea overload here}

Image from Food Network.

Anyhow.... off of that tangent and back to the winner!

 I was so excited today to pick out a winner from 7 days worth of entries. In fact there were just over 80 entries. Wowie! How exciting :)

So I used the True Random Generator thing to pick out one of the 7 days. {Yes, this is where I should insert a photo of it, but I don't know how to and the camera is no where near. You'll just have to take my word for it.} The generator chose Day 5.  Then I entered the number of comments: 9. And the winner was number 5. Counting comments in the order received, the prize goes to: Heather from Storing Up My Treasures! Love her blog so much. She is super crafty.

Congrats, Heather! Email me your address and I'll have that off to you soon :)

Also, becasue I was so thrilled from all the entries I decided to give away a few more prizes this week. Remember the tags from Day 2? I have made a few more sets {in different colors than these} and will give away 3 more this week. So if you are not Heather, do not despair! There still may be a gift for you. {I'll chose 3 more winners - randomly, of course -  from the last 7 days of entries and announce them throughout the week.}

Thank you everyone for participating, and stay tuned this week for some great thrifted finds, and the beginning of my laundry room transformation.

Are you tackling any home improvements this week?

All photos taken by yours truly, unless noted.

It's Friendship - DAY 7 of GIVEAWAY

Oh my word! Today is the final day of the giveaway. And I must say, it has been a super fun week of getting to know you all through your comments and emails. I have had more laughs reading your funny decorating stories, drooled over all the yummy recipes shared and am so inspired by all your spring sprucing ideas. Thank you all so much for sharing.

One of the biggest blessings that has come from "too Blessed to Stress" is that I have been able to connect with so many creative gals whom I probably would have never met had it not been for blogging. My heart needed that. While I wasn't lonely, I desired to have some kind of contact with women who had the same passion and desire to feather their nests, make lasting family memories and who just needed to gab about crafting! And that's where you all come in - what a blessing you are to me! If it were up to me, I would have you all over for a big Bar-B-Q and hot dog roast in the backyard fire pit so that we could chat and exchange stories!

Picnic anyone?

My hope is that you are also blessed every time you visit here. Whether we are talking about hospitality, crafting, recipes, or homemaking - my desire is that every visit here will touch your heart in some way or another. And that it will motivate you to wade through the icky-ness {that's a word, right?} of a dull day and find joy in the simple things.

Shall we sit and chat for a while?

And I hope that we can continue communicating long after this giveaway is over. These new friendships are just wonderful and I truly hope that we grow "closer" - even if it's through blogging..... and I promise, I am not some creepy weirdo writing all this - you know like the Citi Card commercials where the voice does not match the person on screen? I am indeed a woman, married and the only craziness about me is my love for crafting!

A while back, someone introduced me to a new way of staying connected: Twitter.

 And I 'll be honest - I totally did not get the point. It seemed so strange to me to log onto a website just to see what Hannah Montana was up to and which singing star was nervous about singing that evening. {probably has something to do with the fact that I'm just not a celebrity follower. If you are someone who follows all those sites, please don't be mad - I'm so not trying to offend you.} All I'm saying is that Twitter didn't seem to be a good fit for me.

Until I started blogging.

Then I learned from some great blogging gurus out there that Twitter is useful for getting to know those who you blog with. And while I'm still getting the hang of this "twitting thing," I want to invite you to join me on Twitter. {yes, I know they are called "tweets." but "twits" just sounds funnier to hubby and me!} I "twit" about all sort of things - some blog related, some not. But it has been a fun way to stay in touch with some of you fabulous gals.

So today's final entries for the giveaway are as follows:

1. Tell me how blogging has impacted your life, hopefully for the better :) Did it teach you to be fearless in your decorating? Encourage you to make your voice be heard? Did it help you find others who share your same ideals and passions? Just leave an answer in the comments below - I'd love to hear your thoughts. {One entry}
2. Follow me on Twitter. Join me as I "twit" about life and other fun happenings! Let me know that you have started following my "twitty-tweets" in the comments below.{One entry}

The last two items to be added to the giveaway gift are:

This cuter than life sticky note pad.

It has normal size stickies and several of the "flag" stickies that are perfect for tagging a cookbook.

{I have one too, and I love it!}

A bottle of SOKE Marinade {pronounced "soak"}. This is a new product on the market, it is in select stores, and the maker of it used to work for my hubby. He recently gave us a few bottles to try out and I would like to share one with you.

All you do is mix equal parts of Coke with SOKE and marinade your favorite meat - I am told by hubby that it is delish! So have a Bar-B-Q and pretend that we're all in my backyard hanging out and having a few laughs :)

Scroll on down to leave your comments and enter the Final Day of the Giveaway and if you have not participated in the other 6 DAYS, just click on the links below to join in!
Please note: You may participate on as many or as few of these as you like :)

Day One - Click here to enter

~ Become a Follower. Let me know in the comments

~ Tell me a decorating story - it can be a disaster or triumph

Day TWO - Click here to enter

~ Link up a craft, DIY projects, memorable story, scrapbook page, anything that you have done to make your home a welcome refuge for your family.

Day THREE - Click here to enter

~ Leave a comment telling me your favorite last minute, go-to dish.

Day FOUR - Click here to enter

~ Tell me in the comments below, who has inspired you in bloggy land? Is there someone whose blog has meaningful words, fun crafts, or money saving ideas that you love?

Day FIVE - Click here to enter

~ Leave a comment telling me your best decluttering or organizing tip.

Day SIX - Click here to enter

~ Tell me how you plan to lighten up your home for spring. Do you change out fabrics and throw pillows, plant flowers, clean?

All photos taken by yours truly and Mr. "too Blessed to Stress" {aka: my hubby}

If I Could Have Looked Into The Future - DAY 6 of GIVEAWAY

If I could have looked into the future, I would have seen that our amazing clean carpets would cause a few issues and interrupt my blogging adventures.

Our $1.99 table all painted up. love it so much :)

For example, I would have realized that a last minute decision to shampoo the office carpet would mean no blogging or making of a craft for the giveaway. I would have realized that two days of being mostly gone while waiting for the rugs to dry would result in no posts whatsoever. I would have planned better, and I would have prewritten my posts. I would have remembered in my haste to award seven other people with their award.

A touch of spring in my torn apart living room.

But since this queen of planning and lists didn't think her last minute impulse through, I totally missed out on two days of the giveaway. Today is basically my first day back in the office, and I have not finished the last two days of the giveaway. I'm sure there is some kind of terrible blogger award out there for people like me {please don't send it my way.}

All the stuff that has still not made it back into the office/craft space. {sigh}

So now it's Monday. The craft for today is not done. My Coca-Cola room looks like a tornado whipped through. The living room still has no curtains up. The kitchen counter is barely visible. All things that are insignificant in the grand scheme of life, but very significant to me today. I'm behind and worn out. I so need a glass of sweet tea and about an hour to catch up on all of your wonderful posts from the weekend.

Strawberry plants that I may have killed... read on...

Although there is probably some rule against this and I may receive a few upturned noses - I have made an executive decision. I AM EXTENDING THE GIVEAWAY TILL TOMOROW.

Two gifts will be added to the treasure box tomorrow and the winning name will be revealed on Wednesday. 

New fabric for the living room.

TODAY'S ENTRY: Tell me how you plan "lighten up" your home for spring. Do you change the throw pillows? Add some spring decorations?  Do you plant flowers in your garden? Also, if you've posted recenly about your spring sprucing, let me know so I can check it out.

And thanks for understanding about the giveaway. Look at it this way, there's one more day to enter.

And really, how can you be mad at someone who was so tired that she watered her new strawberry plants with white vinegar instead of water.

Oh yes I did.