A Drum Roll Please!

Ta Da!

I'm showing you my latest BIG REVEAL tonight!

This is what my kitchen looked like a few weeks ago....

Note that I had already started adding wooden embellishments. I forgot to take a real "before" picture. Sorry!

And this is what it looks like tonight!....

Looks like it came out of the pages of a magazine =D

This project barely made a dent in our pocketbook! If you tune in tomorrow, I'll go in depth on how I did this project, and give you pointers how you can turn your own kitchen into something glamorous with very little money and a whole lot of patience (and time....and labor....hehe)

Personalized Pot

I love my new Cricut <3

Though I'm not much of a scrapbooker (though sometimes I do scrapbook), I know the Cricut can do so much for home decor.

My favorites: stenciling and vinyl decals.

So here's my first home project with it:

Personalized Pot

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I have this awesome metal bucket that I use for a plant.

So I got out my Cricut to begin cutting my stencil (yes, that's cardboard from a beer box, because honestly, why would I want to pay $10 for Cricut's stenciling mat for something that I'll only use once?)
I taped it on the bucket and began stamping.

Then I dropped in a bird house that my eldest made for me with scrap wood.

Much more personality ;)

Life Lesson Revisited

If you remember, a while back I talked about life's most important lesson: "Don't take everything so seriously! Whether it be in decorating, cooking, creating, or just life in general, just have fun with it!"
My aunt is living proof of this. Click the picture below to check out the post if you want some giggles!

Anyways, the reason I bring this up, is because I want to show you another person that is living it up: my step dad.

He took these three run down cars:

And turned it into this (so far....):
This is the crowning glory (the engine he rebuilt):
But what does this have to do with the life lesson?!

This is what is hanging from the back bumper.....

....his large purple nuts.

These things are each double the size of my fist! So if you ever see this beaut driving around, be sure to give a wave!

Here's the mad scientist behind it all:

So for 2010, I want everyone's resolution to be to live life a little lighter. Have fun with the year that God gave you!

Carpe Diem=Seize the Carp!!

Oh! And I also finished my big project last night!! It will take me a few days to edit all the before, progress, and after pictures, so I'm thinking Saturday or Sunday the post will be up, so look out for that!

But in the meantime, here's a peek at it:

Here's the lineup (not in any particular order):

-Tin Pot Accent

-Jewelry Frame

-Herb Garden

-The Big Reveal

-Accent Pillow

-and maybe one more sneak peek!

2010 Resolutions

Yes, I'm cheesy. I love to make New Year's Resolutions!

So here's my 2010 Resolutions:

1. I will fit into my old wedding dress:

It's about 10-15 pounds away, but I'm dedicated to doing it! Better yet...

2. Complete my first ever half marathon with my mom and family:

I used to be fairly decent at running, an obvious trait from my mom's side of the family. They run quite a few races during the summer, so I want a slice of that action!

3. Learn how to sew. It would make my life (and my seamstress'.......mom) a lot easier. First thing's first: I need a sewing machine ;)

4. Be proficient at using my new Cricut:

I have a lot of plans for this, a few projects that you will see in the next 1-2 weeks.

5. And lastly, but most importantly to me, maintain (or heighten!) my 3.5 GPA.

This one's a huge deal for me. I never applied myself in high school, giving myself a 2.2 GPA.
I finally proved to everyone that I'm not an idiot, just formally lazy, lol.

TeaLight Redo

So how was everybody's holiday?
My family was spoiled rotten this year.

My 3 favorite gifts this year:

-A Cricut machine from my mother and father-in-laws.
-A 4 piece Craftsman power tool set with interchangeable batteries (circ saw, power drill, sawzall, and shop light with carrying case) from my parents.
-A Rockwell SoniCrafter (click the link to check it out. It's amazing!) from my husband.
My creating life is going to rock this year with all this stuff!!

Anyways, I did a little "mini-project" today.

Tealight Redo

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I've had a set of these Oriental-style tealights forever. My room used to be Asian-inspired. I didn't have the heart to toss them after we redecorated our room.

I figured that all they needed was a bit of TLC to make them fit into the room once more. So I disassembled it and took out the glass panes.

Then I dug through my scrapbooking supplies to find a piece of white vellum. I cut it to size, placed it between the panes again, and assembled the tealight holder again.

This is what I got:

I like that it still has Asian flare, but it toned it down a lot.

It fits in perfectly with my modern bedroom.

I love them all over again!

Anyways, switching gears a bit, I know I promised that you would see my latest and greatest project by Christmas, but I lied.
I was way too busy before Christmas to do anything. Now my house is a huge mess, so until it's cleaned up, I physically can't get any work done. But I promise that you will see it in about a week!

So here's things to look for in the future:
-My BIG REVEAL (thinking on Saturday or Sunday)
-sneak peeks
-herb garden pots
-My 2010 Resolutions (yes, I'm so cliche)
-we'll dab on the next BIG REVEAL (yep, it's already picked out and started)