Cabinet Organization

I messed these pictures up in my post earlier and wasn't able to fix it until now. All of the bins I used were from The 99 Cent Only store. I am so obsessed with that store that it isn't even funny. I probably catch myself going there once a week. They just have everything you can imagine and more.

Before:

After:

Yellow bin has all the Tupperware lids in it. Total cost, less than $5.

Bedroom Closet Organization: Before/After

I said I would post the before/after pictures of my bedroom closet by February 1, and look what we have here ... the promised pictures before my deadline:

Before:

Before. Eeep! My closet was not usually this messy (swear), but I kind of let it go right before I decided to do an overhaul.

Before.  Top left side of closet.

Before. Out of control T-shirt stack on right side.

IKEA belt organizer - $7.99. I hang this in my closet where it is easily accessible. 

After:

All cleaned up!  The white jewelry holder on the wall was a Christmas gift 2 years ago from Container Store.  Below it is a shower caddy from Ikea that holds my bangles.

Old plastic laundry basket holds t-shirts and hats.  Purses and bags in bins on top. 

After.  Hanging organizer was $7.97 from Wal-Mart (the only thing I bought for this closet organization project).  Holds my hoodies, scarves, hats, swimsuits, cover-ups, flip flops and umbrellas.  The white cubes on the floor are from Target and were $9.99 for 6.  I have had them for over a year.  Right now I have wedges in one bin, but the other 2 are practically empty because I haven't decided what to put in them.   You can stack them several different ways, and as you can see, I had them stacked vertically in the before pics.  I didn't like where they were before because it made my closet feel smaller.

After (left side).   Boots are stored with rolled magazines in them to keep them upright.  Don't waste money on boot holders, just recycle magazines and do it for free.

Over-the-door shoe holder.  Have had this forever, and I highly recommend one.

So, what do y'all think?  I know it's nothing fancy, but it's much better than it was before.  To see more before pictures, check out this past post.

I am donating all of these clothes, accessories, shoes, etc. to Goodwill. I have clothes with tags still on them, and it makes me so mad.  Such a waste of money and reminds me to tell myself, "Just because it's on sale doesn't mean you have to buy it."  It has been much easier to get dressed in the morning after purging my closet and drawers. I highly recommend it!

 

Coming soon: Fitness Friday

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We finally made it to Friday, hallelujah.  I was searching for an image for this post when I stumbled across the perfect one above.  It was picture destiny.  At about 1 p.m. I had to throw my hair up in a messy bun just like this and I didn't care that I was at work because it's Friday and I do what I want.

And since it's Friday and "I do what I want", I've made my decision for my goal for the month of February: Fitness. 

As a part of My Happiness Project, each month during 2011, I'll be choosing a goal to focus on and document in order to hold myself accountable and track my progress.  I started a little late in January, but my goal was to organize my closet and Tupperware cabinet.   I promise I haven't forgotten about that goal, I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures of the finished masterpiece (it's not a masterpiece), but my closets and cabinet are much better than they were before and accomplishing this goal actually does, in fact, make me happier.   I promise I'll take and post the pictures before February 1.

Anyway, I know "fitness" is just a word, but what focusing on fitness will mean for me is working out at least 3 times a week and consciously making healthy food choices.   Along with this comes drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily and taking a daily multivitamin.  You see, my pants are busting at the seam don't fit, so it's time to do something about it because I'm not getting any skinnier sitting on my couch watching The Bachelor and drinking wine.  Easter weekend I am in my dear friend Christina's wedding in Scottsdale, AZ, so my goal is to feel fit and fabulous by then.  I've got a little less than 3 months and I think I can do it.

In my "Fitness Friday" post I will write about my progress toward weight loss and since this is a bargain blog, I'll also post about cheap and healthy food options, affordable work-out clothes, tips for exercising on a budget, etc. If you have any inspirational fitness tips, I'd love to hear them in the comment section.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Wake-up time

I hate mornings, but how could you hate waking up to this face? Any excuse to show off my adorable nephew, I will take.

I babysit him on Saturdays and this past Saturday he woke me up around 7 a.m. I was not excited. When I asked him why he was up so early, he opened the blinds (indicating to me that it was in fact daylight) and said, "But see, it's wake-up time!" Touché.

My eye liner fixation

Yesterday I mentioned there is an eye liner I'm completely hooked on that I can't live without. I don't think I've ever consistently stuck to a beauty product like this and I can't think of a time it wasn't a staple in my make-up routine.

A few of you were anxious to hear what it was, so your wish is my command! The eyeliner I'm infatuated with is Ulta Automatic Eye Liner in Black:

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Why is it so great? Well, where do I begin?

1. The price. It's only $7, but I don't think I've ever paid full price. If I have paid full price, it's been during a "buy 2, get 2 free" type of promotion, so technically that isn't considered full price (at least not to me anyway). It will even go on sale for $1. One. Dollar. Seriously, it does not get any better than that. On top of the great price point, Ulta has coupons you can print off of their Web site at any time.   

2. All right, so other than the great price (it has to be for me to love it), my second favorite thing about this eye liner is how smooth it glides on. There is nothing I can't stand more than an eye liner that hurts to put on and pulls at your skin.  The easy application makes it a cinch to create a sharp, straight line.

3. The rich color.  It's hue is a deep black, similar to a liquid eye liner.  If you prefer a more subtle shade, they have several colors to choose from.  I can't vouch for any other colors because I don't deviate from black, but I'm sure they are just as amaze.  I can't imagine why they wouldn't be.

4. No messy sharpening required.  We're all busy girls.  We've got places to be and people to see.  The quicker we can get ready and out the door, the better.  You don't have to fuss with a sharpener when this eye liner gets dull.  A simple, tiny twist will do the trick and you're ready to apply.  

5. Last but not least, it is waterproof, which equals all-day staying power even with my oily complexion. Sometimes waterproof eye make-up can be a nightmare to remove, but my face wash is generally all I need to wash it off at the end of the day.  I rarely have to use any eye make-up remover.  I'm not saying that by 6 p.m. my eye liner looks exactly like I just applied it at 7:30 a.m., but practically.  It's as good as you're going to get in my opinion.

Are you sold?  I've been in a bind and had to resort to other brands of eye liners, but nothing has come close.  I've used Elizabeth Arden, MAC, Lancome, drugstore brands, etc. and they just don't do it for me.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I really think this is a product you'll love as much as me.  If you test it out for yourself, you'll have to let me know what you think.

3 Ingredient Sausage Balls

I make these at Christmas and completely forgot I was going to blog the recipe.  Since the Super Bowl is next Sunday in Dallas (I do not want to even be in the city for the madness), I thought now would be a great time to share this very easy appetizer recipe for any of you planning on hosting or attending any Super Bowl parties.  You can toss them in a big ziplock bag and take them with you and they do well reheating in a microwave.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork sausage (I prefer the spicy variety, but use any kind you like.)
2 C Bisquick baking mix
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine sausage, bisquick and cheese.  (I recommend you gradually add the bisquick and cheese to the sausage.  Use your hands and a little strength to knead ingredients together.)

3. If you're not using a silicone baking mat like the Silpat (it will change your life), then spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.  Form into 1.5 inch balls and place on baking sheet. 

4. Bake for 7 minutes, turn sausage balls over and bake an additional 7 minutes or until golden brown and cooked thoroughly.  

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Out with the old, in with the new

First of all, before I talk about my newest beauty find, I want to give a shout out to a favorite newly discovered blogger of mine: Lindsay @ Bella Cene. She made my day yesterday by writing about me in a post. So sweet! She's a fellow Dallas girl like myself and not only does she have a great name, but a great fashion and beauty blog as well. So thank you so much Linds!

My eye lashes are blonde, so without mascara my eyelashes just don't exist.  I've always dreamt of naturally dark lashes, but we can't all get what we want now can we?  

For as long as I can remember I have been wearing L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black:

  

I really have no complaints about L'Oreal Voluminous other than the fact that it flakes and smudges.  The pros are that it doesn't clump and since it's a drugstore buy, it is very affordable at only about $7.25. 

I kind-of just assumed all mascaras flaked and that was a part of life.  That is until I received a sample of Clinique's High Impact Mascara during Christmas time as a gift with purchase. 

I started noticing that i wasn't seeing black specs everytime I did a face check in the mirror.  Whaaat?  Since my revelation, I haven't touched the L'Oreal Voluminous in my make-up bag.  I have, however, used up my Clinique sample, so last week I went and bought my very own tube.  Although double the price of L'Oreal Voluminous, the Clinique High Impact still won't blow your budget at only $14.50.  Sometimes it's better to spend a little more for a better quality.  This is one of those times.

I snapped a pic of my eye this morning using my phone.  This was before I put my eye liner on (normally I do eye liner then mascara, but I was driving while applying make-up (sorry Mom) and I can't put eye liner on while driving). That reminds me that I will be doing a post on my obsession with my favorite eye liner very soon.  I have refused to wear anything else since I was 16 and it's so cheap.  When I was in college the store that sells it wasn't in my town, so my mom had to ship it to me.  I'm telling you, obesessed.


I know the picture quality is poor, but you get the idea.

I like how natural the mascara makes my lashes look while also making my eye pop.  The best part about this mascara for me is that it stays where it belongs: on my lashes, not my face.

[UPDATE:]
Pics after eye liner:

Overwhelmed

Oh my.  My plan was to come home from work, take everything out of my closet and organize it all.  In a perfect world I was going to go to bed with a clear mind and closet feeling accomplished.  Well, if you saw my room right now you would think the crew from Hoarders was about to bust in.

Basically I moved all the clutter from my closet and transferred it to my bedroom.  It's just so much I don't know what to do with it all, and there is no way I can finish this in one evening.  Plus, I really have my eye on this Mainstays 4-tiered shoe rack from Wal-Mart (only $17.84) since all my extra shoes that don't fit on my over-the-door hanger are overflowing out of a laundry basket. 

Exhibit A:

If you are wondering what the pink looking moon shoes are, they are vibrating slippers for your feet and they feel very weird.  I think Goodwill may be the lucky recipients of these.

I snapped a few pics on my phone to send my Mom and she seemed pretty horrified, but the pics don't really do the mess justice.  Take a look for yourself:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C: 

Some of my clothes going to Goodwill. See ya!

Exhibit D:

Needless to say, this isn't getting finished tonight and I would guess so since I'm laying here in my heated bed (yes, Santa brought me the heated mattress pad and it's as amazing as I imagined), watching Oprah and typing this post.   Hopefully by Monday I'll have the closet of my dreams (or at least one that doesn't incite anxiety).

Perfect timing

Do things ever come into your life at the perfect time? I had a HORRIBLE night last night and this morning I woke up to this gem of a quote in my inbox:

"Consider, Sir, how insignificant this will appear a twelvemonth hence."
— Samuel Johnson

Perfect and just what I needed to hear.

Does your blonde get brassy?

It's been almost 7 months since my last highlight and my blonde is really starting to lose it's luster. My natural color is about a medium blonde, so fortunately for me (and my checking account), I'm able to wait this long between highlights. However, my natural color is certainly not as platinum as it used to be. Meet platinum me:
What I would give for hair that blonde. Sigh.

For a period of time during my senior year of high school, I started using ARTec White Violet Shampoo, which claimed to neutralize yellow and maintain brightness of pale blonde highlighted hair. I swear to you, every time I used the shampoo at least one person would ask me, "Did you just dye your hair?" I didn't really notice, but others always did. The ARTec was awesome in terms of getting rid of the brassiness that builds up on blondes overtime.

It dawned on me I should start using it again (not sure why I ever stopped), so off I went to Ulta to purchase this miracle in a bottle. I was scouring the hair care aisle when sadly I found out that they no longer carry it. Womp, womp. (After all, I guess that was 8 years ago.) I was able to find it online, but when I get it in my head that "I have to have it", I want it now.

A sales woman at Ulta recommended AG Hair Cosmetic's Sterling Silver Toning Shampoo:

The lady said it does the same exact thing as the ARTec. I side-eyed her and said, "Are you sure?" She promised me it would and added, "It's on sale for 12.99." Normally $36, I couldn't really pass this deal up. On top of the price slash, I had an Ulta $3.50 off any $10 purchase coupon, so my grand total for the 33.8 oz bottle was less than $10 before tax. Not bad.

It is yet to be known if this stuff actually works, but all the reviews online seem to be positive. I'll have to let you know how I like it after a couple washes. Wish me luck!

Closet Organization Inspiration

As I mentioned last week, I'm reading The Happiness Project (still not entirely done with it, but I get the concept), which is as author Gretchen Rubin describes it: "an approach to changing your life." I don't necessarily want to "change my life", but it's a way to focus on what brings you joy and reminds you to nurture the things in life that make you the happiest.

Each month she focuses on a different set of resolutions: to get more sleep, clean her closets, quit complaining, sing in the morning to her daughters, start a blog, etc. What worked for her was committing to a resolution in writing and then she tracked her progress.

"Frequently reviewing your resolutions keeps them uppermost in your mind, and scoring yourself gives you visible feedback," says Rubin on her blog. "One suggestion: by framing a resolution as a concrete action ("Rent a movie once a week") instead of an abstract goal ("Have more fun") and by holding yourself accountable, you're more likely to make progress."

I have decided that this month I'm going to focus on cleaning my closets and drawers. I only have a few weeks left in January, so I better get moving.

My bedroom closet isn't what I'd call a complete disaster, but in the past year it's started to cause some anxiety for me. A little over a year ago, I moved and purged my closet. I took a HUGE box of clothes to Goodwill and felt so good after I cleared out my unnecessary "stuff".

Well, fast forward to a year later and I'm back to where I was. My drawers barely shut and my closet is packed the brim. I mean seriously, how many tank tops and camis does a girl need? If you saw my tank top/cami drawer, apparently I need 50 plus. I don't even wear half of them, so why do I have them cluttering up my space?

My mission for the rest of the month is to purge my closet, drawers, outdoor storage closet and last but not least, tackle my Tupperware cabinet. It's the one cabinet that I hate to open in my kitchen. Without fail, something will come flying at me when I open it. I need to finish what I started with when I organized on the cheap. For some reason I forgot about the dreaded Tupperware or my mind just subconsciously blocked it out.

Of course I'll be organizing on the cheap still. I'm going to utilize the 99 Cent Store storage baskets and bins and Ikea. I'll post some pictures of the befores and afters in the next few weeks.

For now, here are some inspiration pictures I've found to keep me motivated:

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My first blog award!

Kendall at Our Neu Life presented me with the "Stylish Blogger Award" and I’m super excited! I’ve never received a blog award before, so thank you so much!

There are a few things I have to do now since I won the award, which are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

7 Things about Me
I started brainstorming what 7 things I would share about myself. Everyone has their own idiosyncrasies, and sometimes I think mine are weirder than others. So while I was brainstorming, I started thinking that maybe it would be more fun to ask those closest to me to name some unique and random things about me, and their answers were great! Here’s what they came up with:

1. “You do handstands and the splits just for fun.” – My friend Kathryn. Let me qualify this by saying I was a gymnast for 14 years, so this isn’t weird. Her comment reminded me of something else I discovered about myself my senior year in college.

I don’t know how this came up, but my girlfriends and I were talking about shaving our legs and I mentioned that in the dorms it was really hard for me to put my leg up on the wall to shave because our showers were so tiny. All of my friends were like, “Umm, you do what?” I have always (and still do) just hoist my leg up on the wall to shave. It never occurred to me that there was any other way to shave. Apparently normal people just bend over.

2. “Your lovey is still on your bed.” – My friend Patty. I was confused and asked her, “What is a “lovey”?” She told me, “Your little bunny friend you rub.” Hahaha!!! My “lovey” (as she calls it) is my little stuffed animal mouse (not a bunny) named Squeaky I used to soothe and suck my thumb with as a child. I remember when I left for college my mom said, “You aren’t going to take Squeaky?” I do still have him, but he’s not on my bed … he’s in my nightstand.

3. “You always tilt your head just perfectly for pictures.” – My Mom. Everyone tells me how photogenic I am, which only means I’m uglier in person. They claim that’s not true, but I know better. I took horrible school pictures growing up with crooked smiles, so I used to practice my smile and my head tilt in the mirror. They say practice makes perfect.

4. “You eat olives out of the jar.” – My friend Kristina. I do eat olives out of the jar, but I think that’s perfectly normal. I think what she’s referring to the fact that as a kid I used to eat entire jars of green olives in one sitting and then sip on the juice. Yum.

5. “You’re a crazy cat lady” – multiple friends. I’m really not sure how I’m a “crazy cat lady” when I don’t even have a cat! Well, I have a cat (Nicky) but he lives with my mom in North Carolina because my ex-bf was “allergic” to him aka he hated cats. Anyway, isn’t Nicky the most precious thing you’ve ever seen all cuddled up on my leg?? I miss him! Maybe I am a crazy cat lady.

6. “You were editor of the Texas Tech yearbook.” – My friend Liz. So Liz and I have known each other since we were 11, but we went to different colleges. Literally she asks anyone she meets that went to Texas Tech (where I went) if they know her best friend Lindsey. “She was editor of the Texas Tech yearbook, you may know her?” Most students at Tech didn’t even know we had a yearbook. I think it’s hilarious that she asks every one this because every time she asks they’re like, “Uhhh, no … sorry.”

7. And the last one I will do myself. I’ve never seen Pulp Fiction or Top Gun. People think that’s weird.

15 New BloggersI don't have 15 new one's so I'm going to do what Kendall did and shorten it to a few blogs that I love or just discovered!

1. Jonalynn @ Turn Up the Rad
2. Meig @ Fredericka Rose3. Kristen @ Honestly Kristen4. Lindsay @ Bella Cene
5. Erin at Erin Tagle {Design}

Thanks again Kendall!

Fake it till you make it

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See above? That's who I am pretending I am right now. I'm toasty warm, frolicking on the beach in a white sundress. I like living in denial because the reality is that I'm dressed in multiple layers and still freezing cold.

The snow flurries on Sunday afternoon were exciting when I was bundled up on my couch catching up on my shows from the week. Fast forward 3 days later and this Arctic windchill and 20 degree weather is not cute anymore.

I don't know how you Northerners do it. I heard Boston was supposed to get 16 to 17 inches of snow overnight. Excuse me? I don't even know what that means.

So since I'm faking that I'm warm and on a beach, I thought now would be a perfect time to share my latest drugstore beauty find that helps you fake something else: a tan. The product I've discovered is something any fair-skinned girl like myself can't live without, and that's bronzer.

And when I say "fair-skinned", what I actually mean is that I'm translucent. I'm not joking when I tell you that I once wore a dress to work and a co-worker asked if I was wearing white pantyhose. (Not OK) I'm also not joking when I tell you that in high school at one of my gymnastics banquets, my coach awarded me with the "No Sun" award and gave me a bottle of sunless tanner. (Also, not OK)

Anyway, you get my point. Bronzer is my best friend. But the problem is that a lot of bronzers, especially drug store bronzers, have left me with a muddy looking face, orange skin or are too shimmery. That is until I found my latest discovery: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster.

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This bronzer gives me the perfect sun-kissed look and retails for less than $15. I have used it every day since I bought it a few weeks ago and I don't know why (or how) I wasted so many years settling on less than mediocre bronzers. I highly suggest you try this one out if you too could be a recipient of a "No Sun" award. You won't be disappointed.

Oh happy day

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I know I just talked about my new found happiness in a post yesterday, but there is no such thing as "too much" happiness in your life, right?

Well I'm only 80 pages into it, but I just started reading The Happiness Project and I'm really identifying with it.

New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin writes about her 12 month long quest to become happier, which has inspired me to start my own happiness project. To find out more about this, just check out her blog. (I don't want to regurgitate details you can just read for yourself.)

This got me thinking that maybe I'll just have to share my own happiness project journey here, but I think I should just focus on finishing the book first, don't 'cha think? To be continued!

"When you're dreaming with a broken heart ...

... the waking up is the hardest part." - John Mayer

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I thought about doing this post a while ago, but eventually decided against it because I wasn't sure I wanted to get too personal on here. But after spending time with some of my best girlfriends this weekend, and after they made a toast to me “finally being back”, I thought maybe I should write this since I’m at a completely different place in my life than I was last year.

This past year was quite a transition for me, and I can truly say now that I’m so thankful for all the changes. I started this blog a few months ago, which I'm loving writing and I got a new job that I'm enjoying and see lots of opportunities for growth in my new position, but the beginning of 2010 didn't start out so great for me.

At this time last year almost exactly to the day, I felt like my world had completely crashed down on me because of a break-up with my first love. It sounds so dramatic and I never thought I’d be that girl, but there I was. I was that pathetic, heartbroken girl who couldn’t stop crying and dwelling over a guy.  I didn’t want to be around anyone because I didn’t want to talk about it, but the isolation made the sadness so much heavier. Break-ups are like a death - you have to grieve. And grieve I did.

I could never have imagined saying this then, but I look back now and I’m truly beyond grateful for the heartbreak I endured. Without it, I would most likely be living a lifetime of regret eventually marrying a man who was the complete epitome of everything I did NOT want in a spouse. Now it is so easy for me to say, “WHAT WAS I THINKING???” (And I still ask myself this all the time) One of my favorite quotes is, “The more you loved someone, the less sense anything made.” Seriously, this couldn’t be truer for me.

Supposedly “time heals all wounds”, but I don’t know if I believe that. I think it’s what you do with that time that determines if your wounds are going to heal or not. There are a lot of things in life we are predisposed to which are out of our control, but there is so much we do have power over. I’m a firm believer that you can’t blame your life circumstances on who you are or let it hold you back from what you are capable of becoming.

I had been hurt pretty badly by an important person in my life several years before this break-up, and I had a choice to use it as a clutch in life or I could let it make me a stronger person. Admittedly it took a while and a lot of “why me?”, but eventually I decided that even though I couldn’t control this person’s actions, I could control mine.

I came to this realization again this year, and this philosophy of controlling your own destiny gave me my power back. It’s nothing I didn’t already know, but sometimes we have to remind ourselves of it. With the help of amazing best friends, my loving family and a lot of self-reflection, the pain began to subside a little bit every day. Before I knew it, I was back to my happy place.

Of course I’m not perfect and everyone has good and bad days, but I'm what my friends said, “Finally back”. I’m back to the old Lindsey Lee. The pale, blonde girl with a splotchy sunless tan who is obsessed with reality TV and loves wine with the girls. I can’t say I would want to go through last year again, but I’m glad I did and I can’t wait to see what 2011 has in store.

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Dallas sees snow!

While I was at lunch yesterday, snow flurries started fluttering down from the sky. Unless you are from the South, you have no idea how exciting snow is for us. I'm not saying I would love it if I had to shovel it off my car every day or had to slosh around in it all winter, but a few inches one of two days out of the year is just perfect.

A pic I snapped with my phone outside my office building this morning:
And in more exciting and important news, on Saturday one of my besties, Courtney, got engaged. I'll have to do a post with pictures from the celebration and her ring. So happy for her!

The weekend has finally arrived!

This week has been crazy busy for me, which is why I've been MIA on the blog front. How much did you miss me? I've literally had something to do every single day after work this week, which I typically try to avoid at all costs. I am the complete opposite of someone who has to be "on-the-go", and most of my friends just don't understand how I'm so content staying at home on my couch. I love my mindless TV, what can I say?

Unfortunately, my DVRs have gotten ridiculously backed up this week, which means I have a lot of catching up to do this weekend. The one show I did catch was the premiere of the new Bachelor on Monday. If you watched too, you know what I'm talking about when I refer to Madison, the girl with fangs?? Are we serious? How people like this exist let alone get on a national reality dating show and then get picked for the next round is beyond me. But I'm not complaining, it makes for some great entertainment!

Anyway, I am babysitting the little guy below tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. so the madness doesn't stop quite yet. I can't wait for Sunday to just relax and hopefully get caught up on blogging.
Have a fabulous weekend. ♥

Happy 2011

I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve. I ended up going to a house party of friends from college and was in love with all of the cute NYE decor I was seeing everywhere I looked.

I asked the hostess, Rachel, about all of her adorable decorations and she told me everything there was under $30! I was blown away by all of her details and on top of it, what a bargain it all was. She's a girl after my own heart. Here is how she did it:

Hanging Garland - $2"I cut blue shimmery scrapbook paper in small circles, attached them on fishing string with double-sided tape in various lengths. I also wrote '2011' with a silver sharpie on both sides of the garlands."

Chandelier - $2.25Beaded garland from my Christmas tree: Free!
Foil garland from Target: 25 cents
Big center ornament from Target on clearance: $2

Centerpiece - $6½ yard of fabric from Hobby Lobby: $3
Used a candle holder that I had on hand, a battery pack of Christmas lights in the base and two themed feathers from Hobby Lobby: $3.50

Peacock Accents - $19All peacock feathers were 50% off at Hobby Lobby: $8.75
Vase fillers were broken windshield glass (bought as scraps from a local glass guy) and battery pack Christmas lights: $5.25
I filled clear glass ornaments with cheap paint that matched the colors of the theme and swirled them around to create a pretty effect: $4
Peacock ornament from Target: $1

Her grand total for all decorations was only $29.75, and I'm beyond impressed. How did you ring in the New Year?