Spice Rack Organization Extravaganza

My darling husband gave me the perfect gift for Christmas this year. Seeing as how I'm now in my 27's and have refocused my attention onto old-people-things like de-cluttering the house and labeling things, a gift card to the Container Store was about as righteously awesome as my husband could get!

I had never been to this magical place before.

I, lover of tupperware, creative shelving, and color-coded tabbing, had. never. been. to. the. Container. Store.

Let me tell you, if it had a Greek restaurant attached to it and a rolling supply of Diet Coke, this would be my idea of Heaven.

Needless to say, one of my (many) purchases included spice containers... Which I then promptly labelled upon my arrival home. Because we can't drill anything into our apartment kitchen cabinets, I organized them with this magical fancy shmancy, TOTALLY affordable spice rack I scored from Amazon for just 8.99: Organizer Rack 20 Cabinet Door Spice Clips (White) (1"H x 1.5"W x 10"D).

The result?

Spice Jars- $1.49/ ea at The Container Store

Labels- Avery Kitchen Labels 3.79/20 labels at Target

What are you organizing lately?

Pinteresting Around The House

For those of you living on a budget, Pinterest is a great way to creatively spruce up your home. Here's what over been doing around the apartment lately thanks to my good ole Pin friend. 

1. Light switches are boring. Liven them up with a simple frame!

2. Sick of staring at bulky detergent and soap bottles? Fill up a few oil dispensers for a classy kitchen sink. I scored mine for a buck a piece at Joann Fabrics. Side note: You'll want to dilute your liquids for easy pouring.

3. Want your house to smell like fresh laundry all the time? Pour a handful of Downy Unstoppables into a tart warmer. My husband put this into action and it was magical. :) 

What are you pinteresting lately?

Our Apartment: Gallery Therapy

Saturday was a day off and thus a day for a little apartment updo action. Pinterest of course has had me swooning over all of the different ways to adorn your home in photos so I had to give this and this a go. 

This is how they looked on Pinterest:

And this is how they look in our little apartment!

I scored this shelf for just a few bucks at Salvation Army. Additionally, we have lots of pictures of ourselves because we apparently have no friends. This made a nice addition to our tiny hallway. 

Backstory on the above photos: Ever since Timothy and I started dating, I always give him a framed minimalist movie poster when any sort of holiday or birthday rolls around. It has become a bit of a tradition for us and now a nice way to personalize our space with a little gallery wall! If you don't know about the minimalist movie poster revolution, get in on this mess.

What pictures are you showcasing in your space?

Linking Up With:

The DIY Dreamer || Not Just A Housewife

Pinned It. Tried It: Milk Glass Rope Light Display

When I saw this pin a few months ago, I KNEW I had to give it a go. I had let the tops of our kitchen counters become a catch-all for leftover wedding decor. This was one of the easiest ways to classy up our little apartment kitchen. 

I watched this quick tutorial on creating your own "milk glass." Easy peasy! Grabbed our rope light and whaddya know?

   

5 On Friday (8.2.13)

It's Friday! It's August! It's my mom's birthday! Clearly, there's a lot to celebrate. :)

/ My Mama! /
She is a super hero. No, really. She's beautiful, kind, hilariously enthusiastic (especially when it comes to unexpected wildlife while driving), quirky, joyful, unwaveringly supportive, giving, vivacious, and she always knows what I'm thinking. Happy Birthday, Mama. You deserve all the pumpkin pie and daughter hugs in the world. I love you so much!

(That's Mom on the left. Isn't she cute? S'cute!)

/ Thrifting My Face Off /

I have been going thrift store crazy this week. Found some delectable cardigans (to be showcased later this week), a cute shelf, and some whimsical vases for a secret project I'm working on and can't wait to unveil! I even gave our bathroom a sweet little tidy-up. These bowls were 25 cents each. Why does anyone ever go to Pier 1 EVER these days when you can score awesome deals like this? :)

/ House Blend Cafe /

In the midst of my thrifty antics, I stumbled upon a happy accident of a café: the House Blend Cafe in Ocoee, FL. It's quite far from our neck of the woods but I'd be happy to make the trek again and bring the hubs along for an afternoon bite. I ordered their Egg White Spanish Frittata (sans onions) and it was just lovely! I'd like to head back to try the Curry Stew over Rice, their New Orleans Red Beans And Rice, and their Mexican Salad Mondays! To top it off, 100% of their net profit goes to the community. Their slogan is "Eat Good. Do good." Who doesn't love that? Any locals ever been to this little gem?

/ Krystal Burger /

Timothy and I raaaarely eat fast food these days. If we do, the furthest we will go to "fast food" is often a sub shop. However, when I drove past a sweet little Krystal burger joint yesterday, I just had to make a U-turn and surprise my husband with a bag o' burgers after work. To be quite frank, I'm not a big burger person. I enjoy them but hate the inevitable guilt that, without doubt, ensues every time I take that last bite. There's something so alluring about the miniature state in which these burger find themselves. They're like the Honey I Shrunk The Kids of burgers. I've never had a White Castle burger so, WC loyalists will have to let me know if I'm missing out on something better or if both of these burger joints are merely twins with different names.

/ Crayola Doesn't Make A Color For Your Eyes /

I forgot about this little tune by Kristin Andreassen. Before "Cups," there was this. Get some. Best Listening Conditions: Barefoot while driving with the windows down on a sunny day. You're welcome.

Linking Up With:

5 On Friday | High Five For Friday | Back That Azz Up

Framed Fabric

In an effort to keep our apartment as Pinterest worthy as possible, I had to give a shot at one of my favorite finds: framed art. I'd been storing this huge picture of a snow lion that I found propped aside a dumpster upwards of a year ago.

Now, as much as I enjoy a good feline, ain't no way a snow lion is going to find itself on the walls of the Candace-Timothy abode. But, the frame was too good to pass up. The frame sat in our closet pointlessly until my lightbulb moment of framing an old shower curtain of ours in it.

Who knew that fancy frames were such a tizzy to disassemble? That mess took me forever. I have to say I love the homespun, loosely imperfect look of the final product. I think I'll look into scrapbook paper next. Voila!

Cabinet Organization

Timothy and I moved into our humble, sweet apartment on January 1st, 2013. It was (and remains) perfect for our modest newlywed life. But, it took a while to come to terms with the fact that our kitchen was pantry-less. Not pantyless, mind you. PantRy-less.

In a weird way, I've kind of fallen in love with not having a pantry. We are less tempted to buy things we don't need. Pantries invite over-spending and unnecessary storage in an apartment as small as ours. 

That being said, we still lost control of our food cabinet. Hot mess.

So, I sure did take that bull by the horns and fix that little cabinet right up.

Here are a few tips for keeping your little kitchen cabinets nice and clean:

1. Get yourself some shelf liners. Not only do they look nice, they're simply more sanitary and can be easily removed, replaced and prevent stains on shelves that you don't own (ah, renter woes).

2. Save jars and other sturdy containers for easy storage. We have lots of loose items likes K-cups, Crystal Light mixes, tea bags that can go everywhere when not contained. I scored that rockin' tea jar from Goodwill for a buck. From an aesthetic point, rice looks better in a seal tight container than a floppy bag.

3. Go to Dollar Tree right now. The turquoise container in the bottom left is from Dollar tree and is great for keeping snack bags for lunches in one place.

4. Labels are cute and practical. Our printer is out of ink so I wrote mine out. Feel free to find yourself some lovely printables on Pinterest. Labels are a cheap way to say, "I'm awesome and label stuff. I'm more organized than you."

5. Put like with like. Always.

6. Place lesser used items on top shelves. Remember that time we spent $800 dollars on all natural steel cut oats and then we made them ONE time and it took seventeen hours to cook? Yes. That qualifies as lesser used.

7. Don't wanna toss it? Re-gift that mess! We had lots of gifted snacks and treats that we just weren't ever going to eat. Thus, I sent hubby to work with them to give out to co-workers. We gain more storage space and look like totally nice people. :)

 

Cats Are People Too

About the only thing that saves me from the descriptor, "crazy cat lady" is that I have a husband, I brush my hair regularly, and I own less than twelve cats. However, judging the amount of cat decor around our apartment (mostly gifted to me which speaks volumes about what people think of me i.e. "that I'm a crazy cat lady"), you'd never know.

My mom gave me this AWESOME piece of art that she found at Goodwill. It looks like it's straight out of Urban Outfitters. It's totally us and I've had it for a couple of years now hanging up at the various apartments in which I've dwelled. I decided now in my 27th year of life and (stoopid) adulthood that I'd classy this little number up with a sophisticated coat of paint. Now, it says, "I'm an adult who understands the importance of ironic grandma art. Boom."

P.S. If cats are people too, how come Princess Baby Cat

doesn't understand that a paintbrush is not a toy?

Fridge-tastic

On a quiet Sunday afternoon with Eric Hutchinson singing sweetly through the speakers, it is definitely a good time to do the most awesome thing in the world:

Clean out the fridge.

What? That doesn't sound awesome to you?

Me neither. But, it had to be done.

Are you here for fridge cleaning tips? Ok, I'd be glad to share my expertise.

1. If it has chunks and is meant to be creamy, you should probably throw it out.
2. If it was once solid and is now liquid (or any other variation on liquid- i.e. mushy, gushy), you should probably throw it out.
3. If its expiration date is June of last year, you should probably throw it out.
4. If it's an empty container, you should probably throw it out.
5. If it smells like doo-doo caca poopy pants, you should probably throw it out.
6. If it has turned into a science project, you should probably throw it out.

Do that and VOILA:

I know. Your mind is blown. Suck it, Martha.

Keeping America Cute!

Well, glory be! It's birthday week! Amurrica always be crampin' my style this time of year. I'm all, "Oh hey everybody! My birthday is July 6th!" And Amurrica be all, "Oh yeah? Well, it's my birthday TODAY and I have WAY more friends and years on you. Do you get fireworks on your birthday? Nooooo. Do you get cookouts across the nation in celebration of your glory? Nope. Do people throw parades on your behalf and sing festive songs in your name? Nada. I win."

That's okay, America. How can I stay mad at you when there's THIS GUY?

Note: This is not my cat. I only terrorize our cats with costume torture during Halloween and Christmas. Also, yesterday. 

In other news, my ongoing quest for the perfect, tiny apartment continues. This week? A simple knob improvement. The unsightly old school doors to our laundry room sported an even more unsightly knob. Clearly untouched since 1985, these grungy old things were tarnished and splotched with careless paint stains. So, we grabbed these modern, sleek square knobs at Lowes.

The Damage: $2.97 per knob

Total Time To Replace Knobs: About five minutes. Boom.

Trashy Closet

Pinterest has ignited a fiery passion within me for organization. It's sick, really. I'm a 26-year old newlywed with the mentality of 38-year old woman in mom jeans. When I found myself looking up secrets to better smelling laundry the other day, I had to close the laptop and take a moment to breathe in and readjust my grasp on these last twenty-something years. 

I've never been a dumpster diver, per se. I don't like the idea of being on a quest to dig through smelly bags and wrestle used syringes just for a totally awesome sock or a nonfunctional box TV. But, living in an apartment complex means a daily drive past the dumpster, a virtual treasure box of toss-outs by people recklessly emptying their apartments by the time their lease is up. I've found lamps, couches, dressers. It's a very profitable exploit if you can get past the idea that what you're grabbing hasn't even been through the selection and elimination process of thrift store employees. 

So, naturally, when I stumbled upon three pieces of particle board leaning ever so temptingly next to the dumpster, I had to grab them. 4 fifty-cent Ikea brackets later, I had a $2 closet makeover. :)

*CATNIP TIDBIT* (for cat owners): Our tiny apartment allows us NO where but the closet to keep the litter box. We don't want our clothes to get all stinky! Most closets don't come equipped with outlets so I hung a power strip on the wall (with the chord under the door) and put an air freshener there. Smells great! Also, we use the Roll 'n' Clean Litter Box. It's affordable and functional! No scooping! Get it for just $21 at 1-800-PETSUPPLIES.

Mini Bathroom Makeover

When my husband and I moved into our new apartment in January of this year, we were thrilled to be in an affordable home but knew that the small one bedroom apartment would require some downsizing. Ever since, I have made it my personal goal to organize our belongings through creative shelving and bins without breaking the bank or cramping our style.

I stopped by Good Will today and stumbled upon a cute little shelf for three bucks that I immediately knew would help out with bathroom counter space. I grabbed a 99-cent ceramic bowl to keep our soap and toothbrushes lookin' classy and- voila! A baby makeover for our tiny bathroom. Never underestimate the power of a thrift store outing. :)