A Time for Thanks

Hi all. Sorry for the ridiculous absence. I don't have much of an excuse except that I have been busy busy busy! Between moving, starting my internship, studying for my certification exam, and beginning the job hunt process, I have been way pressed for blog time. But the good news is that I have been crafting--so fear not! I have some things to share.

Being Thanksgiving weekend and being amidst all the I'm-thankful-for-you business, I decided to give out some "thankful" cards at work to people with whom I work the closest at the three schools that I cover--and trust me, I am VERY thankful for ALL of them! I got the idea from the peeps at Young House Love, as seen here, but I wasn't feeling their style as far as the printout they offered. However, I loved their idea! So I put my own spin on the "thankful for you" card with some help from Photoshop, and created something a little more me.

(^ sorry this is all grainy and weird...if you click on it, it IS clear, and should print just fine. All the blog fixes I've tried won't make this smaller image crisp though--if you know how to fix it PLEASE share!)

I'm super happy with the way it turned out. I just printed them, chopped them down the middle, and then sliced 'em horizontally just above the text in the middle. After filling out the top card to the recipient, I then used some removable adhesive (Tombow) and stuck the smaller card to the larger card. I punched out a little butterfly from some cute fallish patterned paper, and placed him in the lower right hand corner with some dimensional adhesive for a final touch and a little punch of 3-dimensional goodness. I don't have any pictures of the final product, as I need to protect the privacy of those I work with--sorry! But I promise they were cute :)

Please feel free to download the above file and share, share, share!!!!

Note: after handing out a few cards, it became apparent that I hadn't made it obvious enough that there was a card underneath for the recipient to pass on, so I started folding the butterfly corner back a bit to make it extra clear. Half of the "thankful for you" idea is paying it forward, so I wanted people to have no excuse about not seeing the second card!


It was such a simple thing to do, but I really think people appreciated it mucho, especially because this time of year is very stressful in our school system (long story short, we expect a major influx of work and the related stress that comes with it right after report cards go home, which was about a week ago). Giving people the pick-me-up they deserve is especially nice when things get a little rough! This is a great idea for any time of the year, and these cards can certainly be altered to fit any occasion. After all, we're thankful at other times of year than Thanksgiving!

How about any of you out there? Did you do anything special to let others know how thankful you are? How about some traditions in your family/workplace/social circles? I know there must me some interesting ones out there!

Fabbie Finds

Woo to the hoo - it's Saturday. I've got another round of fun, less-than-25-dollar stuff for ya. This week's theme is multiples; all items come with at least 2 pieces! 'Cause more bang for your buck is always better, right?

Up first...

1. Muffin/Cupcake Pan Scrubby
Casa Bella via Real Simple
$7.99 (for a set of 3)

I bake a fair amount of muffins - especially corn muffins. My boyfriend actually likes them too, which is both a good and a bad thing. However, while I love eating muffins, I despise cleaning the pan that's left after the corn muffin feast. I've got a non-stick Wilton pan, but no matter what, I end up cleaning the little bugger at least twice; I think I get all the little nitty-gritty crumbies and oil slicks the first time around, and then I take it out of the dishdrainer only to feel that tell-tale slickness, or see some little browned bits. I've often wondered if there was something that would make life easier when it came to cleanup duty, and then I happened upon this little guy. Not only is he cute, but he also looks like he'd do a great job during pan-scrubbing thanks to his unique shape and size. With two sides to choose from, how can you go wrong?



2. Vinyl Lace Placemat
Darlybird
$12 (for a set of 6)

Yes, you read that right; these lovelies are only $2 a piece! But despite their tiny price-tag, they certainly don't look cheap by any means! Lace is definitely an "in" item right now, from clothing to light fixtures, and these are no exception. (Check out these super cute over-your-bathing-suit shorts here, and this amazing idea for a light shade here. Plus, if you really wanna get your dining area lacy and racy, you can DIY a lace doily table runner, like the one seen here). The color above is "stone gray," but they also come in other classic colors (like black or white), in addition to fun colors (like lime or turquoise). You can see all the colors here. I personally like the organic, soft tones of the stone gray (I guess I like the classic off-white look of antique doilies), but could certainly see these adding a great pop of color to some fun tablescapes. And honestly, at 6 for $12, even I would consider buying more than one set to mix things up. The chosen material (a nice pliable vinyl) makes clean-up a snap so that you don't have to worry about dainty fabric, while the delicate cutting gives a nice air of sophistication - a perfect balance!



3. Sea Glass Toned Nature Bobby Pins
Liz Hutnick's Etsy Shop
$15.85 (for 4 pins)

When I saw these, I just about died and went to heaven. Yes, they contain a bird (my weakness...*sigh*), but they're also in sea-glass tones, which was like super sweet icing on the cake. The other organic motifs (in addition to the aviary creature) are so chic that these guys could be paired with a work outfit in a neat French twist, a date night with sexy waves, or even just a quick updo for hanging around the house. At nearly $16, they're not particularly inexpensive, but I think they qualify for a little splurge, or a cute gift for a sister, girlfriend, cousin, coworker...mom......aunt......



4. Mug-Sized Teacup and Saucer
$19.99
ModCloth

Ok, you're probably wondering why this counts as a multiple. While it is technically 2 items (a cup and saucer), the thing I liked about this little guy is that it comes with a snazzy box that many reviewers said they saved for reuse.

So it's a two for one! Plus, the size of the "cup" is actually a bit deceiving in the image; most reviews liken it to the size of a coffee mug. Ergo (yes, I said "ergo"), you could use this little guy for many different purposes: a very large spot of tea that doesn't require refills from the pot; a nice big cup-o-Joe that allows you to stay put at your desk without fiddling with your sugar and creamer proportions once you get it right for the whole shebang; a nice mug of steaming soup (especially chicken-noodle if you're sick - eating from this little gem would instantly make anyone feel better)...It's really so much more than just a tea-cup. So in addition to a cute storage box, you actually get a very versatile item, ergo (yep, did it again), making this item count for a multiple. You just got lawyered (HIMYM reference, in case you were confused).



5. Beddy-bye Coasters
ModCloth
$23.99 (for a set of 4)
*Note: this is a sale price, down from $39.99; not sure how temporary this may be!

I've gotta admit - I've never seen anything like these coasters! What an original idea! I think the bed frame adds an air of unique interest, and could even give height to an artfully arranged coffee table, side table, or living-area bookshelf. Despite its delicate-looking nature, reviewers commented that these little guys are actually quite sturdy. They even appear to have mystical powers over the y-chromosome when it comes to using a coaster (at least according to one reviewer). Plus - they're white. White looks nice everywhere...especially under a glass when it's saving your precious woodware. (But let's face it: it would still look nice no matter what. You know it's true).

So there we have it! Another week of Fabbie Finds! I've made it 5 whole weeks in a row. I know - insanity.

Are you guys as smitten with those vinyl placemats as I am? Can you think of any other uses for the giant tea cup? Curious to see if the bed coasters will have mystical powers over certain male household members in terms of swaying them to...err...use protection? (Let's not get too greedy here. Get your mind out of the gutter and start with your coffee table. And yes, I realize there are an insane amount of inappropriate jokes that could be made to go along with this double entendre. But my mom reads this blog, so we'll keep it PG). (Hi, Mom).


*Note: All images via the linked webpage for the featured item.
**Double Note: I was not paid or perked by any of these sellers or companies (pft, I wish they knew who I was--hah!). I just found these items myself and thought I would share them!

Maintaining my Vanity

  So, a while back, a came across this little lovely on Craig's List for a mere $20:

It wasn't even in bad shape. The family was just cleaning out their little girl's room, and decided they didn't need it anymore. The mirror inside the flip-up top was damaged and discolored, but that was something I could work around, and certainly wasn't a deal-breaker for only 20 bones.

Like I said, this little guy (gal?) wasn't screaming "I NEED TO BE FIXED UP!!!!" but the current paint job just wasn't my style; it seemed to be a little frouffy for my taste (very technical term). The original coloring looked to be a DIY job; the white spray-painted coat was done very well and looked practically flawless, but the gold detailing was pretty sloppy in some places (no pictures - sorry!) and just gave the piece a very childish feel. Being a perfectionist, those gold details were screaming "messy Messy MESSY!" in addition to likening the piece to something that should be in Kate Middleton's foyer or dressing room. After finding this piece over at Centsational Girl, I was itching to grey-ify something of my own, and thought that the feminine lines of this piece would lend itself well to a more masculine and rainy-day color.

While the color I ended up picking is a bit more blue than I had originally intended (I'm a newbie at choosing paint colors that match what I want, despite the fact that I was a good student and taped up tons of different swatches to look at in different lights at different times of the day), I still like the juxtaposition of the baby bluish tones (read: boyish) on such a curvy piece (read: girlish). I had originally wanted to paint the inside of the flip-top a bright and complementary color, like coral, or a deep contrasting hue, like midnight blue, but ended up leaving that part alone for now. It just wasn't in the cards yet, as I wasn't sure of how to handle the damaged mirror, and I couldn't make a final decision regarding the color (I'm leaning more toward coral...). As it turns out, we're not even currently using the flip top at all, so it doesn't matter; it's very difficult not to put stuff on top of a flat surface...and once it's there, you can't open it anymore. Sigh. I wouldn't mind if it magically turned into a drawer, but maybe after our move, I'll start actually using the little guy as a vanity. Here's the little bugger in all it's (currently) finished glory!

 

The color I ended up going with is Valspar's "Rising Tide" color-matched to Olympic Premium No VOC latex paint. I just bought a little sample size for around $3.50, and it was more than enough for a single coat after a nice coat of Kilz primer. Interestingly, when I hold the color swatch up to the vanity, the color on the card does read a little more gray and less blue, but oh well! I'm still happy with the end result. We're currently using it as a little buffet-type-piece in our dining area, and it blends nicely under our wall collage, as we have a lot of photos or paintings that involve blues, from water, sky, and even backgrounds.

While I had originally planned on altering the color of the drawer pulls, I actually didn't think they were too bad once I was all finished. They look a little tarnished or well-worn, which I like better than pristine, so for now, they stay.  I'm thinkin' they'll look even better once I choose some fun fabric for drawer liners that picks up some of the goldish and cream tones. I got the idea from this image that I came across on Pinterest - been looking for something similar ever since!

So to save your fingers from scrolling back to the top (life's tough, I know), here is a comparison image of the before and after. I like the much more subtle single-tone color that hints to the detailing in the wood with shadows, rather than that cheap-looking gold acrylic paint that might call your attention to the details...but not in a good way.

Have any of you guys redone any interesting pieces lately? Do you have as much trouble choosing a paint color that actually looks the way you pictured it in your head when you're done? Found any steals on Craig's recently? Do tell!

Fabbie Finds

It's that magical time again: the Saturday you all love and look forward to so you can read a blog post! Woot. This week's fabbie finds are themed around food...the first 4 products I found seemed to have a culinary flair, so I made sure to find a 5th that fit into the trend.

Onward!

1. Shark Fin Ice Cubes
Perpetual Kid
$9.99

Are these not the funniest slash cutest things ever? The mold creates a nice big base that sits just deep enough in your beverage to be hidden, but also keep those fins upright and sinister looking. I think they would look particularly cute in a really big punch bowl or other large vessel with a lot of surface area so it looked like a giant feeding frenzy or something. You could get really graphic and float some raspberries or strawberries too for a gory effect...play some Jaws music...use some sort of hidden device to create a current so they looked like they were swimming...too much? Sorry.



2. Pen Cap Utensils
Dine Ink via ThinkGeek.com
$5.99

We've all been there. You're on the run, at work, at your sibling's soccer game, chillin' on the subway, lounging on the beach...and you open your bag to grab that yummy lunch you worked so hard to prepare. Mmmm, it's a chickpea, black bean, and edamame salad, some Moroccan couscous, and a little slice of home-made mocha ice-box cake. (What? I seriously pack lunches like this. Don't judge). You're starving and have been looking forward to this all day...that yummy vinaigrette...those little pearls of exotic deliciousness...that creamy-chocolaty-coffee-y awesomeness...You dig around in your bag for your fork, salivating at the thought of digging into your little feast. And to your horror, you realize you left that simple, yet necessary, utensil sitting on the kitchen counter that morning in your rush to get out the door. You stare at your lunch, tummy grumbling, cursing the fact that you packed NOTHING you can eat with your hands. Why oh why did you forget that fork? You could risk it, and tip the containers and attempt to dump the food into your mouth, losing half of it on the floor/ground and making a total idiot out of yourself while you're at it...or, you could reach for your trusty never-go-anywhere-without-them pen cap utensils! You pop one onto one of your ho-hum Bics, and it magically transforms into a transportation vessel, allowing food to travel from your container to your mouth. Life is good. Bon Appétit.


3. Pink Elephant Funnel
ModCloth
$7.99

What a cute, yet practical, kitchen gadget! This little creature puts the fun in functional, with a trunk used as a funnel spout. If you've ever tried to transfer liquids from large-mouthed bowls to itty-bitty-opening vessels, you know just how useful a kitchen funnel can be. Spare the grossness of contemplating using your DIY/around-the-house/nasty job funnel you keep in the garage (you know, the one you use when you change your oil? No?) and invest in this little bugger instead. Cuter, cleaner, and awesome...er.


4. Little Birdie Salt'n'Pepper Shakers
ModCloth
$15.99

Another ModCloth find, I just couldn't pass these little guys up (c'mon...they're birds. Enough said). I love how they're in two different poses, and snuggled on/into a little nest of sorts. These will always make a nice centerpiece on the table, regardless of whether it's set for dinner, or cleared from a meal and just sittin' and looking pretty. You can't ever go wrong with white (and as far as I'm concerned, it's difficult to go wrong with aviary accessories, although it is possible. I'm not THAT crazy).



5. Recycled Plastic Cutting Boards
Preserve
$14.99

If you're like me, you always feel bad when you have to toss those plastic containers that certain items come in, despite the fact that you've looked everywhere for an eco-friendly alternative in a number 1 or 2 plastic so that it can be recycled (my local recycling program only takes numbers 1 and 2. Boo). There are some food items that you just have to buy in number 5 plastic if you want them at all, such as yogurt, hummus, cottage cheese...and so many places won't recycle these containers. Behold! Preserve's Gimme 5 Program. You can read more about it here, but the long story short is that this program actually takes your number 5 plastic containers for free and recycles them into all sorts of products, such as cutting boards like the one featured above. Not only is this a great way to recycle, but these products are BPA free, dishwasher safe, and still 100% recyclable after years of use (just melt 'em and mold 'em again! It's like play-dough for big kids!) You can drop off your number 5 plastics at your local participating Whole Foods Markets (check here for a list of participating stores), or you can mail your plastics in (at this point, you have to pay for shipping, but Gimme 5 is working hard to create more drop-off locations. You can find more info here.) They even take your Brita filters! Plus, Preserve's products all seem to have great reviews; for example, the curve on this cutting board doubles as a handle and a retaining wall to help slide you hard-earned choppings into pots. Perfect!


Bonus! Revolver Hair Dryer
Nodaya
$40?

The only place I can actually find one of these puppies for sale is on some Asian website I can't understand (there are some in Etsy shops, but they are all sold). According to Google Chrome's translation of the website, this bad boy retails for around $40, but I'm not exactly sure how accurate that translation and conversion is. However, if I can find one of these guys, I'll be totally down to purchase it as a splurge. I'm not a gun fanatic by any means (quite the opposite actually), but I just think this product is so clever and cute (the Tiffany blue color is particularly appealing to me...the juxtaposition of the shape and color are so ironic!) Just think of all the witticisms you could say if you owned one of these...you could blow your 'do out...pull the trigger on those split ends...you get my drift. Plus, if a certain male figure in your life has longer locks, the blue version of this little gadget just might be manly enough to encourage some masculine dryer-time. However, I would totally not recommend traveling with this bad boy if your trip involves a plane; if you thought security was a pain when they wanted to take a look at your regular hair dryer, imagine the scene when this little guy goes through the X-ray machine. Not pretty. Unless you arrive for your flight about 10 hours early and are looking to kill some time (no pun intended). In that case, go for it. It's your trip.

What about you guys? Find anything awesome this week? Think of any other witticisms to go along with this blowdryer? Have a local recycling program that actually takes number 5 plastic (jealous!!)? Leave a comment and chat!


*Note: All images via the linked webpage for the featured item.
**Double Note: I was not paid or perked by any of these sellers or companies (pft, I wish they knew who I was--hah!). I just found these items myself and thought I would share them!

Be Vehwee Quiet...I'm Hunting fow Apawtments

So I figured if apartment hunting was taking over my life and preventing me from doing projects that I would otherwise blog about, I should blog about this instead. So this post is about the method my boyfriend and I came up with to find a new pad.

My boyfriend and I decided to move to Richmond since it will be a mid-ish point for his job and my upcoming internship. Neither of us has really lived in a city per se, and we thought that, being a city, there would be oodles of apartments to be had in a neighborhood that was safe and not undergraduate (VCU students are EVERYWHERE) or roach-infested. So. Not. So.

At first, we turned to Craig's List, who had served me well in the past. However, perusing The List quickly became annoying for a few reasons. Reason 1: the filters it uses. We needed at least a 2 bedroom, but there was no way to search for 2+ (we certainly wouldn't mind having another room if it was in our budget). Additionally, being very unfamiliar with Richmond, the main streets, and all the neighborhood names, we soon became tired of Google mapping everything separately.

Cue: PadMapper

 

Now, I had never heard of PadMapper until very recently. Now that I'm using it, I do remember my sister mentioning it a while back, but at that time, it was too early to start scouting (sorry, Sis). However, now that I've "discovered" it, I will never EVER go back to Craig's. Here's why.

PadMapper reminds me of Kayak.com. It searches different popular apartment listing sites (which you can customize), and pulls up all of your possible apartment matches on a Google Map. The customization capabilities are super duper awesome; you can put a high and a low on SO many different filters: rent, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, how old the posting is, pets that are allowed, sublets, if there is a picture in the ad, etc. Being a very visual person, I LOVE the Google map that gets pulled up. And if you create an account (it's free and super fast), you can favorite different places to save for another time (the pins turn green). PLUS, when you click on a pin, you can click a link that takes you to the original ad, allows you to do Google Street View right within the window (creepy, but also awesome), and it even creates a "walk score" for you, taking into account how close different places of interest are, like coffee shops, laundry mats, bars, restaurants, gyms, and grocery stores. It's GREAT.

Once we found PadMapper, it suddenly became a lot easier to to find apartments that looked promising, and we needed to come up with a system to make appointments that didn't overlap, and allowed us enough time to get from point A to point B. We came up with a very basic schedule type thing with 30-minute time slots. After the first day where we overbooked ourselves, we decided to allot 1 hour per showing (regardless of whether or not the same agent showed us multiple apartments). This has worked out pretty well for the most part, though 1 hour 15 minutes is sometimes necessary if the apartments are really far from one another. I just write out the times on the left hand side of a piece of scrap after we decide when the first and last appointments are going to be for that day. Then, as we make appointments via e-mail or phone, we fill in the address, name of the agent, and their phone number. It looks like this as it starts to get filled in (blurred out for privacy - don't want any stalkers because I have SO many people that read my blog):

Once the list is finalized (some things get canceled if the apartment is rented before we can see it, or we need to move things around), I type up an itinerary for the full day that we take in a portfolio when we make the trip.

Since we started viewing so many apartments (about 10 per trip to Richmond...yeah, we're picky), we needed to come up with a system to keep track of which apartment being which, what we liked about it, what didn't work, etc. We came up with a ratings and check-list form that we customized to things that are important to us for each room. Some things are rated (counter space in the kitchen, for example), and other things are just a check box system (for instance, whether or not there is a washer/dryer that comes with the apartment). We made some adjustments after the first day (it was far too detailed and it was taking us too long to fill it out), so we streamlined it to suit what we needed it for, and then incorporated space at the bottom to make notes about unique things that caught our eye (whether good or bad).

So far this system has been working pretty well. We learned the hard way that we max out at around 8 or 9 apartment showings per day (day 1 was a total crank-fest at around 14 apartments. Not good). We also learned that you should call and confirm your showing that that morning, (time slot, where to meet the person, and the quoted rent in addition to what it includes). Otherwise, you show up and wait only to find out the apartment has already been rented, the agent is sick and no one took over her showings, etc. Always a bummer, especially since it's about 95 degrees outside, and you've driven all over creation for nothing. It became a necessity for us to confirm rent quotes because we ended up being quoted one thing the week before on the phone, and then we'd show up at the apartment, and all of a sudden the rent was $200 more, which they wouldn't tell us until the end of the appointment. This became a major annoyance for us; not only was it a huge waste of our time because the apartment would suddenly be out of our range and we wasted the time slot, but we would fall in love with a place only to find out we couldn't afford it. Not cool. This seemed to be a trick used by multiple property management companies, so we just started double checking every single one.

It was interesting to see the different reactions we'd get from different people when we'd show up with our clipboards and ratings scales. Some people thought it was a great idea, others obviously privately deemed us insane. But the system works for us, especially since my boyfriend and I each rate the apartment on our own and compare later, so we get to make unbiased reviews, for the most part.

So far, we are still apartmentless. We're both pretty picky regarding very different things (my boyfriend is much more concerned about location and ceiling height for his easel, I'm much more concerned about feeling safe and at home inside the apartment, which usually means sunny windows, somewhat updated appliances, and enough space to not feel like I'm trapped in a closet). So far...no dice. We've been pretty disappointed to find out that our budget places us at the low end of where undergraduates tend to live, which isn't really where young professionals in their mid 20s see themselves. Hopefully this Wednesday will be the winner!

How about you guys? Any advice on apartment hunting? Have any "system" you employ? Think we're crazy for designing and using a rating system? Live in Richmond yourself and have some words of wisdom? Do share!

*Note: All images are mine, EXCEPT for the PadMapper image via here.
**Double Note: I was not paid or perked by any of these sites or companies (pft, I wish they knew who I was--hah!). I just found these sites myself and thought I would share them!