diy mama

lifestyle blog sharing diy, family, travel, organization & disney tips

Shelly

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Be emotional.

emotionsWhen I was younger, I had been told that I was too emotional. I thought it was a bad thing. I tried to not show my sadness or frustration towards situations. This isn’t helpful for anyone. Emotions are what life is all about! My husband recently told me to ‘be emotional.’ He knows that I am either a 10 of elation or a 10 of sorrow…there is no middle ground with me. He, thankfully is about a 3 on all emotions which balances me out. I used to think he wasn’t excited for things or that he didn’t get angry but he’s just even tempered. I’ve realized that, for me, it’s ok to be crazy excited about organizing my planner but it’s also ok to be teary eyed when I see an animal commercial. I agree that it’s necessary to breathe and calm down when things aren’t as big as they seem (don’t sweat the small stuff) but I also think you should laugh til you cry, sing at the top of your lungs, cry until there are no more tears and get so frustrated that you just have to scream! Anyone else out that a 10 of emotion?

Shelly

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Spring IKEA Swooning

ikea swooning

If you came into my house and looked around for 5 seconds, you would see IKEA everywhere. It’s the only store we can access that has affordable modern furniture. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be a West Elm and Crate and Barrel girl if I could…but for now we will stick with the sweet Swedes at IKEA. We’ll be going to IKEA next month when we visit family in Chicago (the closest IKEA) to pick up frames. I have a feeling I’m going to be drooling over these pieces when we go! None of them, other than the butcher block are conducive to our home…or necessary in any way…BUT I still love them! *Side note: I am wearing my Small World Disney shirt, have Mickey on my nails and have been listening to the Disney station on Pandora all day because my equally-obsessed niece is in Magic Kingdom for the first time today!! I’m over the moon excited for her! Also, more happy tears than should be allowed, have been shed today.*

 

IKEA Spring *swoon*
So here’s the rundown of what these pieces are and why I’m swooning over them:
  1. This KURA bunk bed is super sweet and sibling friendly! I had been keeping it in the back of my mind as a possibility for when/if we have a second child (I know…thinking waaay ahead, but that’s what I do.) My sister just bought it for my neice (who’s in line to see Rapunzel right now in her Rapunzel dress!) and she LOVES it. It’s perfect for her because she doesn’t always like sleeping in a bed so she can choose whether she sleeps on the floor or top bunk. This bed is also super hackable and can be found all over Pinterest or IKEA Hacker.
  2. This butcher block is super trendy…as far as butcher blocks go. We have a couple bamboo butcher blocks and love them! This one would be awesome hung on a wall along with your pots and pans!
  3. THIS STOCKHOLM cabinet. Oh man. I’ve seen this now during two trips to IKEA and I just can’t get it out of my mind. There’s NO WHERE it could go in my house, nothing to put in it and I fear I would never dust it. Other than that! I think it would look AWESOME in my house.
  4. LAPPLJUNG RUTA. Say that three times fast. Or even once. If I didn’t have super deep pile carpets (made of corn!) then this rug would be in my home. I have a similar black and white diamond rug from Target at the entryway of my home but I’d love a big one instead!
  5. This deep teal PS 2012 coffee table (surprisingly that’s the weirdest name I’ve seen) would be super functional in my family room. It has a industrial feel but the deep teal brightens the room with a splash of color. I like that it has a second shelf underneath and that it’s on wheels for easy movement!
  6. Man, this sweet PALLRA yellow stacking box is darling. I don’t know what it is but I’ve really been gravitating towards anything yellow at IKEA. I got this side table as a gift for Sophie’s room b/c I couldn’t live without it!
  7. These clear SYNAS LED light boxes are calling decorators everywhere! They’re in the children’s section at IKEA but I could totally see them as an art installation in someone’s home! A bit pricey but they look really mod and sturdy!
  8. Finally, the STORNAS extendable dining table. This table might actually make it back home with us. We’ve been looking for 3 years for a round extendable table for our kitchen that’s not a traditional pedestal table AAAND they don’t exist. Our kitchen has a bay window that would be perfect for a circular table but I can’t seem to find an affordable and durable table for that space. If you know of any in the under-$600 range, PLEASE let me know!!
So, when I go to IKEA, for frames, who thinks I’ll get at least one of these items? Or 10 other random items not on my list? Yes. I’m afraid you’re all right. Dude, who digs the meatballs at IKEA? I always forget to get the free meal with my receipt! What’s your favorite IKEA snack?
Shelly

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Corner Sink Organization

Corner Sink

WARNING: This will be the ugliest photography you have and will ever see on my site. (And that’s saying a lot for my novice photography skills!)

I couldn’t shoot this area of the kitchen very well because it’s deeeep in the corner with all the beautiful windows above the sink! However, I posted it because I KNOW there has to be other people out there with these unfortunate corner kitchen sinks. I do not have a before shot of this ‘situation’ but I will tell you that nothing was accessible without something else falling over and leaking everywhere! The game changer:

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This is my new favorite kitchen addition (besides the automatic pantry light when we open the door…I know…my husband is a genius.) I want at least 2 more but would like about 7 more throughout the house! Only problem is, their a bit steep. The best thing about these drawers is that they come in many different sizes and shapes to fit your space!

Here’s the odd corner sink. See all the wasted space? See how easy it would be to just put stuff in there and only be able to access the front row?!

IMG_2202

 We had installed the wrap holder a few years ago (with wood brackets so the screws would not go through the thin cabinet fronts.) It’s an ok solution but I will be adding a second one to our pantry door for ziplock bags because there’s just not enough room under the sink.

The right side of the sink has our dish dryer and counter top cleaning products. You’ll also see our ‘oops’ for this project. The first time my husband installed it, he did not account for the fact that our cabinet has a TINY lip on the front edge. The first time we slid the drawer out to test it, the veneer got scrapped off. It was a quick fix though. He uninstalled the drawer and put some small shims under to lift it the slightest bit and it no longer scrapes the edge! I need to go over it with one of my walnut markers to fill in the color but I wanted you to be able to see what had happened.

under sink organization

The items we keep under the sink are solely kitchen related, mainly for cleaning.

  1. Sponges
  2. Disposal freshening beads
  3. Drain stoppers
  4. Fertilizers for my kitchen plants
  5. Stainless steel cleaner and Bar Keeper’s Friend for our white counter tops
  6. Trashbags
  7. Dishwasher soap
  8. Dishwasher rinse aid

under sink organization

All in all, no super WOW factor going on but the usage factor is WOW for me! Anyone else have a strangely shaped cabinet they’ve been re-organizing over and over? Anyone else use Bar Keeper’s Friend?! It’s amazing, right?! I’ll leave you with this shot that’s above my sink. Much cuter. 😉

IMG_0517

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St. Patrick’s Day

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up next week I am, obviously, just now getting around to getting my green ready. Ya hear me? I’m biting at the bit to get my Halloween and Christmas decorations up but when it comes to these smaller holidays I seem to wait until the last minute. I wanted to share with you my favorites that are trending this year. All of these wonderful bloggers worked very had to put these tutorials up so go check out their blogs!

There are a few simple DiY last minute crafts in there as well as a super cute hair tutorial for those of you with daughters.

St. Patty’s Day Version 2014

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  1. Crochet Shamrock Pattern by Everything Etsy. There’s even a video!
  2. Loom Lucky Charm Gift Tag by Paging Supermom. My daughter’s only 5mo. so she’s not into the loom bracelets yet but I’m tempted to get in on the action!
  3. Shamrock Hair Tutorial by One Creative Mommy. DARLING!!!
  4. Lucky Printable by EighteenTwentyFive. Love this blog! They always have great printables!
  5. Gold Shamrock Necklace by Anechkas Jewlery on Etsy. Anything that’s tiny, delicate and gold I’m a bit obsessed with.
  6. Anti-pinch Nail Polish Gift by EighteenTwentyFive. I ALWAYS have green nails on St. Patty’s day to make sure my bases are covered.
  7. Shamrock Lime Sherbet Punch by The Crafty Sparrow. I have a weakness for sherbet and get really excited when it’s at parties!
  8. Thin Mint Puppy Chow by Shugary Sweets. How can you go wrong when Thin Mint OR Puppy Chow is in the title?!
  9. Love and Luck Shamrock Photo by Kellynphotography on Etsy. This is definitely cute enough to keep up all year! He loves me, he loves me not!
  10. Clover Patch Cake Toppers by DiY Studio. Just can’t get enough of this girl’s cake toppers!

Do you wear green to avoid those annoying pinchers? Do you have any Irish traditions for St. Patrick’s day? Anyone dye their toilet water green? Yea, me either. Let me know your favorites!

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Be humble.

Do you think being humble is a learned behavior or something you’re born with? I think it’s a bit of both. A Person could become more humble with effort if it’s not a natural way for them to be. 🙂 I am going to aspire for people to look at me as humble.

humble

Shelly

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