the betsy blog

Jul 25 2013

My Wardrobe is a Problem

I’ve made some strange wardrobe decisions throughout the course of my life.

And my hair. And anything “fashion” related really.

Practical clothes seemed overrated. I wanted that peasant cropped top everyone else had. Which I appreciate sounds gross now, but really, I swear it was a thing, they were cool… You can’t explain fashion. And normal belt? Why would you buy a normal belt when you could buy a seat belt with soda tabs on it, because they were so freaking cool. Again, it was early 2000, I have no other excuse.

What brings this up? Why am I living through all of my fashion nightmares again?

Simple answer: I’m a hoarder.

For years, I’ve heard that I have plenty of clothes and I don’t need more.

For years, I have fought back. No way Jose, if there’s room in my closet, then there’s room for new clothes. I can buy another dress, what’s one more dress… every once and awhile… (ahem: read – weekly).

Then I moved states. And I had A LOT of clothes to get rid of, to finally say goodbye to, because a hoarder never gets rid of anything. Examples:

Things that I’ve had since college Betsy and let’s face it, I am no longer college Betsy. By size… or by style. Not even close (this is a good thing because no self respecting semi-professional woman wears sparkle sequin tube tops to work – don’t judge me).
Things that I’d gotten and worn once because they were hideous and I have no idea why I thought a see through hot pink shirt with a bow on it was ever a good idea even if it was on sale at Von Maur.
Things that had my sorority letters all over them. Specifically the ones across my backside. You only need so many pairs of sweat pants with greek letters across your rear… And shirts. And sweatshirts. And… on and on and on.

And I felt awesome. My closet was cleaned out. Everything fit into my apartment closet. Life was good. I officially am no longer storing that pop top belt and I no longer owned any more cropped peasant tops. Praise the Lord. Ain’t nobody need to see that.

And then I moved into a little house and life got real.

Because kids – apartment master closets aren’t the real world. Apartment closets are like this halfway place between normal world and utopia closet land. They are massive. And have lots of places for storage. And SO MUCH HANGING RACK.

Old little houses should be the standard. And what I now know is that Betsy’s clothes don’t even fit into… not one… but TWO old little house closets.

Oh, you’re wanting photo proof? Phew. Good thing I have a camera phone:

My bedroom closet. AKA The place where most of my normal clothes hang.

Then:

The other bedrooms (soon to be TV rooms) closet. Where all my dresses and costumes hang.

But because EVEN THOSE TWO CAN’T HANDLE IT:

My $10 clothing rack from IKEA. Now placed in my dressing room area where my “frequently used” clothing is hanging.

Yes. It is all color coordinated and sorted by frequency of use. Which, I’m fairly proud of.

BUT IT’S THREE CLOSETS WORTH OF CLOTHES.

For one person.

I still have a problem. Maybe we consider it a ten step program and we just say I’m halfway there? Step five maybe? Improvements been made, but there’s still a looooong way to go. A hard road ahead.

So, if anyone’s in the market for a dress, turns out, I have one (or twenty) you could borrow… and then take. And never return.

Oh and if you’re looking for shoes… I might have a problem there too… but I suppose we could save that for another post…

Tagged closet, clothes, mom, mothers, von maur

Jul 19 2013

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Food

Martha Stewart in the House!

People that bake amaze me.

If you enjoy spending time mixing things, beating things, rolling things, testing things, watching the oven with one eye and then committing to making all of the perfect finishing touches using some sort of plastic bag full of icing – you are my hero.

One time, I made a pie FROM SCRATCH and it took me multiple days and two trial runs to perfect it. For a pie. That you eat. And then it’s gone. And after I made that pie, I thought “nope, I’m never doing this again, I will BUY a nice pie next time.” Which has been my general philosophy about baking since then.

Learn to make chicken? Sure, I’m game.

Try out a crockpot? Why the heck not, bring it on!

Set your apartment on fire trying to fry something? Sounds like fun!

But when it came to baked goods, I let someone else with patience and more mad skills than I possess try it out. Or I bought it. From the store. Because I’m fancy like that. Those little pre-cut pre-rounded cookies on a tray you just throw into an oven? I’m all over that. Those I can do. Thank you Pillsbury for understanding me and appreciating my need for cookie dough. I mean honestly, who just has sugar/flour/baking soda laying around their house?! (This is not a joke. For the longest time, I did not.)

And then, this week, everything changed, life was no longer the same. All because the amazing Chesemore family, got me an amazing gift… a Nebraska cookie cutter.

People – in case you don’t know me/haven’t met me/never been around me… my love language is gifts. You buy me a gift and I just know you love me. And a Nebraska cookie cutter? That’s just the most thoughtful gift out there.

And if you give ~~a mouse a muffin~~ me a thoughtful gift, you’d better believe I’m not letting it go to waste. No way, no sir. So I did the only thing I could think of… I baked. I started by whipping out my baking cookbook (that was another great gift from my beloved Jillian Michaels), searching through it for a recipe for sugar cookies and then read up on all of the best practices about icing, rolling dough, etc. But really – the most helpful part? Martha Stewart was in town.

She mixes, she stirs, she bakes… She’s basically the entire reason this post exists!

No sillies, her name isn’t really Martha, but since she came to town and was game for my baking adventures, it’s going to stick as her blog name. So welcome Martha to the blog. M. Stewart is a former roommate of mine, a fantastic friend and a serious motivator and life encourager… not to mention, one of the Godliest woman I know. She’s just flipping awesome. I’m lucky to know her and super happy she came out to visit me!

Check out that cookie cutter. That’s true love right there.

We followed the recipe, we let the dough chill, we baked cookies, I learned to make real frosting and then we decorated them all.

You have no idea how much food coloring it takes to turn white frosting into red. A whole bottle. For real.

Boy oh boy did we decorate them. And who knew… I LOVE me a ziplock bag with some frosting in it! All those years of making locker signs really did pay off. Who knew that hours of cutting out construction paper, using puff paint and sprinkling glitter would come in handy sometime in my future adult life?!

I could not be more proud of myself. Selfish. I know. BUT LOOK AT THAT COOKIE!!

I’d share the recipe, but they aren’t the best I’ve ever tasted… so consider me ‘on the hunt’ for the greatest sugar cookie recipe out there. Please feel free to share if you’ve got one you love!

Because I will try again. It was fun! It’s by no means a ‘quick solution’ if you’re just need to throw something together for a block party – but if you’ve got a little time in advance and you’re wanting to really wow the crowd, I could totally pull this off. And really, who wouldn’t want to eat 100 cookies that look like this?!

The perks of having a short nickname… Can you imagine trying to get Elizabeth on that sucker?!

Oh, just me? Whoops.

Jul 18 2013

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Uncategorized

Chicken Spectacular

I was genuinely shocked the other day when I witnessed someone cut a chicken breast into cubes, season it and then cook it in a skillet.

Hello. Hold up. Wait a minute. That’s a thing? And it’s that easy?

Well helllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooo new brilliant way to cook chicken. Where have you been hiding this last 8 months I’ve been learning to cook?!

Then, that diced chicken turned into a chicken casserole.

Again, genius.

And that chicken casserole wasn’t too shabby. Plus, it only used four ingredients. Which is just impressive really. High five new guy* making me dinner, way to win me over with your cooking skills.

But that recipe made me really crave the chicken casserole of my childhood aptly named Chicken Spectacular.

So, I shoot a text (how handy) to my brilliant step mom and nicely ask for the recipe.

Be glad I did ya’ll, because boy oh boy are you going to want to try this one. And yes, this is exactly how I got the recipe – I just love that people know me well enough to give me stupid simple directions.

3 Cups Cut-up Cooked Chicken (A grocery store rotisserie chicken works as a nice short cut. Just make sure your chicken is seasoned as you like and use as much as you want. Proportion it with the rice, depending on how much you decide to use.)

1 Can (16 oz) Kitchen Cut Green Beans (You can also use French Style Green Beans if you’d like) or Peas

2 Cups Cooked Rice (I usually end up using more than this)

1 Can (10 1/4 oz) Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (I use any condensed soup I have, like Cream of Mushroom works well)

1/2 Cup Mayo (I use Miracle Whip and generous with it)

1 Can (6-8 oz) Water Chestnuts, drained (they are more for texture than flavor I always thought. Keeps life interesting!)

2 Tablespoons Chopped Pimento (I use a larger jar or two of the tiny jars, love the pimentos)

2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion (It’s hit or miss whether I add this, your call)

So, the cutting of the chicken is a little gross. But with super sharp knives, it’s no big deal at all!

Mix ingredients together and pour into a 9X13 pan. I started putting some shredded cheese on top before baking (Chef’s choice, I find myself using shredded cheddar). If you want extra cheesy you could put some into your casserole as well. If it seems dry when you combine the ingredients before baking, you can add more creamed soup and mayo or if you’ve added cheese into the casserole that will help as well.

So close… and yet… still so long to bake…

350 degrees for approximately 50 to 60 minutes. Just until heated through and cheese looks great on top.

Deeeeee – lish!

A couple of notes:

I would highly suggest NOT using a pan on a skillet and the oven on a very hot day if your house doesn’t have air conditioning.
This stores well and makes INCREDIBLE leftovers.
Cheese on top = genius.

The other lesson I had learned (from admiring new guys cooking) was that you could BOIL asparagus. I’d only ever grilled it before. I did a quick google search, saw that it takes a large skillet, a little salt in the inch of water and 5-7 minutes of uncovered time and tada! cooked asparagus.

Salt, water, asparagus. Season to taste. 5-7 minutes of sheer perfection!

Again, genius.

Not to mention, for this meal, I was able to break out my pineapple slicer. Which, shockingly, you just don’t use that often.

Tasty delightful perfectly sweet pineapple!

So yes, I own a pineapple slicer… and no hand mixer. My kitchen is a very confusing place…

Moving on.

It was a wonderful well rounded (very tasty) meal. Totally felt like a mini victory. I can now check “casseroles” off my list of items to learn.

Annnnnnnd since I’m feeling pretty proud of myself, I’m going to attempt pretty sugar cookies. You know, the kind with the nice looking frosting that look like they come from a store. To be fair, I’m cheating a little bit, I’ve got a baker friend coming to town and a new cookie cutter I’m dying to use… so there may or may not be a little extra guidance.

So keep your fingers that works out for me.

Oooooor just know, you’re pretty much guaranteed a funny blog post next week!

*Here’s the deal. This blog started off with the purpose of being a happy space to talk about cooking, cleaning, organizing, funny mishaps, finances, random adventures and the likes. It’s also a place where people that live far away can come to check on me and see what’s happening in my life. Which I adore. Thank you friends. But what I’m realizing is, sometimes my posts may include a little personal aside about my family, my friends and in this case my dating life. Because those are the people that surround me and make my stories. So yes, I’m seeing someone new. He’s already inspired me to attempt pan seared steak, boiled asparagus and chicken casserole. Plus, he quietly ate my over-spiced brussel sprouts. He is wonderful, I am happy and I just wanted to let you know.

Jul 16 2013

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DIY

When pure practicality meets crafting…

The 4th of July has the ability to bring on a whole world of joy.

Star-spangled fun left and right. Flags, fireworks, BBQ’s, friends…

And the American Flag.

EVERYWHERE.

Good Lord I love that flag. Stars. Stripes. Happiness.

So you’d better believe I geeked out when I realized that stores were selling flag shorts. I needed those for my forth of July outfit (yes, you need a forth of July outfit, HELLO, ex-sorority girl here). They were practically a necessity.

Then I realized, that one pair of shorts, to be worn for 8 hours (or less?)… one time a year… is maybe not worth the money spent on them. You know, fiscally responsible Betsy knows better. Plus, I’ve got zero closet space and I’d just be committing to throwing something else out.

Sigh.

But what if I already had something I didn’t love… or um, that maybe had a hole in them… that I could just modify and wear?

I wouldn’t have to buy a whole new pair of shorts. Saving money for the win!
It wouldn’t take up any new space.
It would be ~~totally appropriate~~ fitting for a small hole to be in pants you wear once a year.
It would fulfill my dream of dressing to the nines for the forth.

And so after a Google search for a star shape (that I could cut out as a stencil) and a quick phone call to my craft master friend Niki (I mean, everyone needs someone they can call with questions like “If I was going to paint on my jeans… what kind of paint would I need?!)… I headed to Hobby Lobby. I used a 40% off coupon. And for less than $5 I had red and white acrylic paint!

Keeping in mind that you’ll need two days to complete this task so that your paint can dry overnight and then you can flip them and do the other side… here’s what I ended up with!

The front…

Started with star stencils and a pen and then just painted them in! The stripes were totally free handed!

And the back…

I’d seen just the pockets done in my pinterest search and thought that was a genius and cute idea… not to mention a heck of a time saver!

I could not be more proud of these shorts.

They were perfect!

They were highly complimented!

And almost no one noticed the gaping hole on the leg.

I’d call that $5 well spent.

Happy birthday America!

Jul 15 2013

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Adventure, Friends, Uncategorized

You know those friends…

The very best ones? The ones that always laugh at your jokes. They enjoy partaking with you in fun girly activities or just siting with you, lounging in comfortable silence. They know how to how to be classy – even at a dive bar and they know the exact right time and way to deliver compliments to you to touch your soul?! Really, these are the friends that just make your life better because they’re in it.

Well, those girls came to visit me this weekend. I laughed. Oh how I laughed. Hard, with gusto and a few really good snorts – the. entire. weekend. And throughout the whole thing, they just reminded me of how lucky I am to be blessed with some seriously rock star, fantastically wonderful, high achieving, amazingly talented friends.

We ate. We hiked. We ate. We dressed up. We ate. We shopped. We ate. We lounged. We ate.

And kids, we ate good.

Real good.

In an amazing geeky foodie way that I haven’t gotten to experience in a long time.

My goodness I love these friends.

I showed them around my new town. We saw the sites. They saw the new place. They loved on my pets. They were up for anything and everything.

And they brought me Runza.

RUNZA!!

And then they told my new friends all of the same things I’d been saying about my home state since I moved here:

Runza is great. If you don’t like it, we don’t understand you.
Nebraska IS a panhandle.
Chili and cinnamon rolls as a combination is legit.
People from a state should know geographically the border states and where they are positioned.
Elevation on a city sign is weird, it really should be population.
Measuring distance should only be noted in time… not miles, that means nothing to us.
Shopping is an art form.

Okay, that last one is maybe not a serious lesson, but it is true.

And these girls appreciate the beauty in that art form. 110%.

If you’re not catching on… long story short… I adore these girls.

And I already miss them like crazy.

And I love having visitors. And I blog about them. And I totally tour guide them around the entire city… You know… Just something to keep in mind…

So to my AMA ladies: I love you for visiting. I love you for listening. I love you for sacrificing time out of your crazy hectic schedules for our together time. I love you for being flexible and rolling with the punches. I love you for asking the hard questions. And I LOVE that you bring me so much joy.

And be ready for the “Girls on Rocks” 2014 calendar. It’s happening. And it’s going to be magical.

Tagged adventures, food, friends

Jun 18 2013

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House

A PARTY IS ALWAYS AN INSPIRATION

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could just snap your fingers and have all the mess in your house put magically in it’s place?

You’d be a cleaning ninja. Everyone would want to be your friend.

Including me. Because I FOR SURE don’t love cleaning. But I do love a good party.

And new dresses. Those aren’t too shabby either.

So why not use party throwing and pretty dresses as your motivation to get everything done?

Sounds like the perfect cleaning motivation to me. Sold!

So I decided to throw myself a housewarming cocktail party. Cocktail attire. Fun summer drinks and appetizers and wonderful people.

And here’s my best showcase of why this was important:

The room BEFORE the party.

Don’t judge me.

The room the DAY OF the party.

Tada!

And of course Kate crashed the photo.

And all this effort took was a few new pieces of furniture, a few loads of stuff into the creepy furniture cellar… and a little extra special navigation to coax everything where it needed to go.

Example:

This is probably why people tell you that you need to measure before committing to something…

Thanks Water Boy for your help. As it turns out, it’s really just not possible to move a desk on your own. Or an armoire.

Noted.

And then, the house was clean, and the friends came over, and there was merriment and smiles all around.

And even better, the next morning, I woke up to a clean orderly house. And my internet got installed by a fantastically humorous cable guy.

So now the house is well put together and I can blog about it from the comfort of my own bed.

I would call that a win. Absolutely. Any other great cleaning motivations? I’m willing to find another cleaning muse!

Tagged cleaning, cocktail party

Jun 12 2013

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DIY, House

THE MIRACLE OF SPRAY PAINT

I used to look at ugly old beat up furniture, wrinkle my nose and think “who would want that?!”

Now I look at old furniture and think “what could I do with that!?”

It’s a subtle change, I’m not really sure when it happened. But I’m oh-so-grateful it did. Because when you realize your new place has no linen closet… and you’ve finally got room for a desk – it’s time to thrift shop.

I mean, my first inclination was to run to the Pottery Barn website and drool over this amazing little vanity desk…

I mean, come on.

And it would only set me back a cool $499 and tax. Cough, sputter, choke.

Yeah, that’s no longer happening.

So thrift shopping I went and I ended up with both a fully functional (and FUN!) desk, an armoire type piece and a vision.

All that was included in the vision was some spray paint and a piece of glass.

So after enlisting the help of my friends with a truck (although I had high hopes, the armorie was just too big to fit in my small SUV) who could also help me get the pieces in my back yard, I was ready to sand and spray!

One note: when I sprayed all of the furniture in my bedroom, I had used Rust-oleum Primer/Paint and it was amazing. This time I tried another brand first and was more than disappointed. So if you’re painting anything – I’d absolutely advise the Rust-oleum brand of spray paint. It mentions on the bottle it has two times the coverage (which is completely true), it’s only $.10 more than the other brand AND the push nozzle is so-much-better. Which sounds ridiculous, but if you’re about to go through 6 bottles… your finger gets tired and you run the risk of putting your fat finger in front of the spray stream. Trust me. One can of primer for the first layer. Then as much as it takes for full coverage on the rest of it.

And this is what a few hours of work and a whole lot of spraying accomplished:

It’s amazing what a can… or 8… of spray paint will do.

Shiny white pracitcally new furniture.

Oh – and the top of the desk, I experimented with chalkboard paint. Thanks to the lovely Water Boy for the suggestion. I’m in love with how it turned out.

Isn’t that just adorable?

And since I know you’re thinking “I’m sure with all of those extra supplies – you probably could have bought that amazing and incredible Pottery Barn desk” I’ll let you in on a little secret – I did all of this for practically a quarter of the cost of that fancy little desk.

Cost Breakdown:

Desk: $20
Armoire: $30
White Spray Paint: $30 (including the bad decision kind)
Chalkboard Paint: $4
Glass Piece: $50

Total spent: $134. Now, I appreciate that I didn’t need the glass. Or the chalkboard paint. Or really probably even the white paint… but that adds a lot of fun and character and it looks great with my already white book case that’ll also be sitting in that room!

Once I get everything moved back in the house tonight, I’ll be able to organize the back room a little bit – and I Can. Not. Wait. for things to have a “place” that they belong to.

The goal is to have everything in a place it belongs in by Friday. Go ahead and say a prayer for me!

Tagged armorie, desk, rust-oleum, spray paint

Jun 07 2013

1 Comment

Food

THE FUNNY THING ABOUT COOKING…

Just when you’re beginning to think you’re becoming the worlds next kitchen rock star…

You fail miserably at something.

But hey, it’s all a learning game right?

Right?

Please say yes.

Anywho, last night I had BIG plans for an amazing well rounded meal. Steak. Potatoes. Brussel Sprouts. Cantaloupe. Chocolate chip cookies.

Which I can do all of on the grill. Grills are easy. But alas, I do not have one here. So my new friend Jason gave me some pointers on how to do all of this magically with a skillet.

And by pointers, I mean, he wrote out my grocery list, gave me step by step directions (including what to do and in which order to time it all perfectly) and included plenty of encouragement. Probably my most favorite “recipe” of all times.

In fact, I love it so much, I’ll just share the whole thing with you. Because the directions were fantastic. It was my execution was just a little wobbly.

The highlights include:

The use of too much cayenne pepper on the sprouts… like, WAY too much.
Under cooking the potatoes.
Burning the cookies.

But the steak was fantastic. And the sprouts were so beautifully quartered. And it’s really hard to ruin cantaloupe. So – partial success?! For any of you other grill-less friends, here’s a little something something to help you out.

Shopping List:

Steaks: Look for thicker cuts. Filets are always good!

Brussel Sprouts, at least a pound.

2 lemons.

Cayenne pepper.

Salt.

Pepper.

2 Russet potatoes (not too large, but big enough. Preferably the same size.)

Olive oil.

Chili flakes.

Onion powder.

Set oven to 400 F.
While oven is heating, you are going to start the potatoes.

POTATOES:

2 sheets of tinfoil, big enough to completely wrap around each potato.

Coat each potato in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Completely close the tinfoil.

Place in oven. These take about an hour to cook, so start these first.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS:
Quarter brussel sprouts and set aside.

STEAK:

Make sure the steaks are room temperature, otherwise they will dry out.

Coat each steak in olive oil, salt and pepper. Be generous, but don’t over do it. A lot of the seasoning will end up in the pan.

Heat a deep pan for a few minutes so the steaks sizzle when you first put them in to the pan.

Let each steak cook on each side until there is a good color (about 3-4 minutes each side). BE PATIENT AND DON’T TOUCH THE STEAKS. Let them cook!

After each side has been seared, place on a cookie sheet that has a cooling rack on top (this allows the entire steak to be cooked the same….it’s an airflow thing!)

Place in oven and let cook for 10 minutes (medium rare/medium).

BRUSSEL SPROUTS:

In the same pan the steaks were being cooked in, ad a little bit more olive oil (not too much!) and put the brussel sprouts in, stirring to make sure they all get coated with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (just a lil bit), onion powder, and chili flakes. Let them cook, stirring occasionally. I like my sprouts to have a nice deep golden color too them.

After about 5 minutes (the sprouts should be tender), squeeze the juice of one lemon over them and let them soak up the juice. Make sure you stir pretty often.

Taste and make sure they are good.

By this time, the steaks should be done. Take them out and let them rest for a couple minutes to let the juices settle.

Once the steaks are done, the potatoes should be done as well. Pull them out. Test them with a knife. If should be easy to cut through!

PLATE UP AND ENJOY!!!

At the risk of ruining these adorably written out directions – I did not add my own thoughts. I did however underline, bold and italicize the fact that he warned me to use JUST A LIL BIT of cayenne. To which I ignored and added just as much as salt… or pepper… #oops

The other note to mention is that as I was preparing to melt the butter for the cookies… I realized I don’t have a microwave.

So now I’m wondering if maybe my land lady has been reading the blog… and knows about the Cheese Frenchee Incident…? Hm…

You win some. You lose some.

But I dominated those steaks. So, I’m still calling it a win.

Tagged brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, cookies, steak

Jun 05 2013

2 Comments

DIY

I CAN SEW!

Here’s the thing about moving:

It’s expensive and it requires a ridiculous amount of work.

But the great news is, once you get settled and into your routine, there’s a complete repression of those moving memories. Because every time I’m getting ready to move… I’m giddy excited. And then you start packing. And keep packing. And find a moving van. And forward your mail. And move the boxes. And unloaded the boxes. And change your utilities. And find a trash service. And buy curtains…

Sigh.

All of that whining aside – I have EXCELLENT news:

I am OUT of the apartment. And into the most wonderful little home! A home!

Yay!

So my evenings of late have been spent unloading boxes of junk (also, when did I accumulate so much stuff?), getting curtains and organizing.

And learning to sew.

That’s right. I said it.

This girl can now use a sewing machine – without breaking anything. Or losing any fingers.

I was inspired as my cute little house has the ugliest sink the bathroom. Maybe ever. It’s basically a basin sitting on top of plywood. That’s been painted white. And after looking at it and cringing, I thought… “I bet I could make something for that…”

Yes. I thought that.

And then I turned to Pinterest, where I found this picture:

Doesn’t this look like the cutest little cottage bathroom sink?!

And in my brain I was like – “no really, I can make that… I just need a sewing machine and some Velcro.” So I emailed my amazing friend Emily (because she’s crafty and awesome) and asked if: 1) she had a sewing machine and 2) if I could borrow it after she gives me a mini lesson on how to use the sucker.

The crazy lady agreed.

Also, she’s insanely smart and brought pins.

So, I cut a white sheet that I already had (and don’t use because it was like $5 from Walmart and itchy) in half (length wise) and folded pleats into it and secured those with pins.

Oh… you can’t see the pleats because of the cheese oozing out? Sorry. I was so excited.

And then I just sewed it. It really was that easy.

Then I cut one inch pieces of adhesive Velcro – put one side on the sink… one side on the fabric (it just stayed – I thought I was going to have to sew it on!) … and BAM! ugliest sink of all times covered right up!

Yes. I do have the girliest bathroom of all times. I think it hides the poop brown overtones… Also – ignore the “stuff” everywhere. Did I mention I just moved?!

Let’s just say – It’s come a long way from where we started:

Don’t judge all of the tubs, I came from a bathroom with LOTS of storage to a bathroom with NO storage. Don’t worry, it’s all organized now!

I still need to hem it.. and sew the two pieces together…

Because as soon as Emily ~~left me unsupervised~~ left, I broke the sewing machine. As in, there’s no more thread in the needle and I don’t know how to get it back in…

So maybe saying “I know how to sew” is a bit strong.

But if someone else does all of the setup work, I can absolutely just push the fabric through the machine. So, you know, whatever you’d call that.

The rest of the week/weekend will be filled with fun other home projects – so stay tuned for:

Hunting down and painting a desk
Organizing my office
Putting together a bedroom

And then when it’s “all together” I promise to put up photos for a mini house tour!

Yay moving!

May 29 2013

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Fashion

WANT TO MAKE SOMETHING FUN?

Because boy oh boy do I have a project for you.

T-shirt scarves.

Not only are they THE EASIEST craft project I’ve ever participated in… but they are also free, fun and perfectly lightweight for summer!

My mother (thanks mom!) sent me a link to this crafty little blog here with a nice how-to video. But really, it’s so easy, I can just tell you in three easy steps.

1. Cut.

2. Cut a little more.

3. Stretch.

4. Wrap.

That’s it. That’s really all there is to it! So we made one basic one and then we started making variations for fun, trying to cut strips and braid it in. Or trying to lengthen or shorten them. But in case your visual – here’s a the pictorial of how it worked:

Cut from armpit to arm pit of an old t-shirt. And then cut the hem off the bottom.

Leaving a half-inch at the top of one side, cut from bottom to top in one inch strips.

Take each strip and stretch it.

Then wrap your hem around the top part and tie it off. BAM! A completed scarf.

Really, if you’re going to do this, I suggest watching the video from Mr. Kate’s blog. I mean, I know I’m pretty good with directions, but I think she’s probably a wee bit better. Plus, she adds more bling to hers. I was just coasting on what I had around me.

I wore mine immediately after wearing it. And now I think I’m going to need one in every color. Or at least in red and white, as I’m thinking it’s probably the most perfect Husker season scarf out there…

Watch out crafting world, turns out… I might actually enjoy this whole “wearing things I made” thing…

Tagged craft time, scarf, tshirt

Adventures in baking, being frugal, becoming organized and blogging through life…