Pearls and Pinball

Hello everyone! I would like to let you all know that I am not giving up on the whole blogging thing, but the last two weeks have been terribly busy....but in a rather good way. I am very sorry for missing things like art postings and Trinkets for Thursdays. As an apology I am posting this Dior commercial that I found really intriguing. Hope you enjoy!

I hope you all enjoyed that I much as did. So pretty and shiny! Haha, anyways, I would also like to let you all know that there will be an art post soon and that you will be getting a Trinket for Thursday this week. As you go about this week, try to find something pretty to make you smile. No worries, you will find something pretty, after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And, as always, it's the random reasons...

Domus Mea:The finished product!

Hello everyone! As most of you know I have been working all summer to turn our apartment into a home...and I am proud to say that it is finally finished! Well, for the most part anyways. I love how it has turned out...it is cute, cozy, comfortable, classy, and creative....the 5 things that I strive for when decorating for myself. It was definitely an adventure...and it took some compromising between C.J. and I, but now that it is finished I wouldn't change a single thing.

There are too many pictures for me to post on here, so check out the link below which will take you to the Facebook album. You don't have to have Facebook to see it, so no worries!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1815190145213.2102196.1403871869&l=6970b16787&type=1

 

Hope you like it, I know I do! As you all go about your day, take pride in the little things. Look at your home, is there anything that you could stare at all day long because you just love what you did with it? Don't think this is weird....it is good! You created it--enjoy it! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and remember....it's the random reasons...

Crafty Do, Crafty Does

Hello everybody! Hope you all had wonderful weekends! I have a sneak peek into the apartment for you all today! I have been limiting the amount of the apartment that I show people, just because I am waiting to show it to everyone when it is completely perfect, and it is nearly there. However, today, just my blog readers will get to see a few of the things going on in the apartment...sort of like a trailer for a movie. No worries, you still don't get to see everything!

I went home this last week, and made it back to Stillwater with some great finds that were in need of a makeover....

Salt and Pepper Shakers + Napkin Holder. These started out just black and chrome, but I transformed them to match the table and the centerpiece. Also, the salt reads: Na Cl and the pepper: Pe + (Pe) r. I just had to do something different! These were a score because I was able to get these for free from my grandma's storage unit.

Shelf with coat hooks. This was another awesome grab from my grandma's storage unit. It started out as a dark wood, and I painted it white, added some brass studs, and then glued on some pearls. It turned out to be one of my favorite pieces so far!

Coasters. These were made from some scrap canvas paper that I had in the cabinet at the apartment. I like them mainly because...1) They can be repainted. 2) They are reversible, one side girly, one side more modern art. 3) They were free and super easy!  

Glassware. I did not actually make these, but I found them in Hobby Lobby the other day for 1/2 price. What a great deal! I loved the colors and I plan on getting more. My favorite thing about them? When the morning light comes through the windows and hits them...it is beautiful. I debated on filling them or leaving them empty. When all was said and done, I ended up filling them with light colored or clear altered art supplies: silver beads in the blue bottle, clear "diamonds" in the pink, and white beads in the orange. This way they serve a purpose while still looking gorgeous! 

Pillow! I finished another pillow, in only about an hour and a half! I was excited. Only 4 more pillows to go! 

Well there you go! A sneak peek into the apartment. Get ready for the complete tour which will be coming very soon! As for today, remember that with some creativity and Modge Podge you can turn a snag from a garage sale into a one and only designer piece! Oh, and don't forget--it's the random reasons.

Random Quote.

Usually I don't post twice in one day...but I just couldn't resist when I saw this quote...

"Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting."

Such a true quote! (well, at least when it comes to my lovely grandma)  My grandma is absolutely amazing, as I am almost positive most grandmothers are. She is one of the people who I have missed the most since moving.

Don't forget to tell your grandma or closest person to a grandma that you love her today! You don't need a reason--She's your grandma! It's the random reasons...

Jumbled.

Let me start by apologizing for my absence in the blogging world this last week. It might be completely terrible of me to assume that I have let people down by not posting--but just in case I have some readers, I would like to express my sincere apologies for not being reliable.

Now, as for words of wisdom I really don't have any. This week has been very busy with apartment stuff, Best Buy work, and OSU Conferences work, so I am blaming my lack of words on the fact that my brain is just a little tired. Because of this exhaustion my thoughts are all sorts of jumbled up and I am feeling as though nothing I say makes the slightest bit of sense. So I am going to post some pictures that I found and really enjoyed.

Today's picture topics:  Mason jars and flowers.

Perfectly chic and absolutely adorable.

Enjoy these pictures and  remember that sometimes you just need to stop and smell the wildflowers...and, as always, it's the random reasons.

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

it's the Random Reasons.

I have noticed that my entries have started to get a little lengthy, which I apologize for. So, in an attempt to keep things light for the weekend, here is a quote which I found, really liked, and thought really said something about why it's the random reasons in life that keep life wonderful.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” --Ashley Smith

Flower Pots in the Kitchen

Hello everyone! Hope your weekends went fabulously. I started moving things into the new apartment on Saturday and then we finally got the power turned on on Tuesday. It was a hot weekend, but extremely productive nonetheless. My stress is starting to die down now that things are starting to come together, the furniture is looking like it is all going to fit, and the apartment is coming together very nicely. My mom came down on Monday night and we unloaded almost all of the "big" furniture on Tuesday morning at a very early 6 a.m. We were finished by almost 7:30 and then she left around 8:30. It was great to see her while she was here!

So now I have a few projects:

1. Getting the apartment ready.
2. Refinishing the dresser.
3. Refinishing the desk.
4. Decorating and constantly making things "pretty."

So...3 and 4 on the list were my own choice. I love taking things that people are going to just throw away and fixing them up into something that no one else has and that everyone else envies. It is so  much fun, especially after I have fixed up some one's something and they end up wishing they had kept it and just asked me to fix it for them. I also love Hobby Lobby and Lowes and antique stores, so this just gives me an excuse. No worries, all of you will stay up to date on the progress of my "Projects with Potential" haha.

It really isn't an art project, but I made some innovative silverware holders this last weekend. I already had a bunch of silverware given to me by my grandma before I left for college, and I was having the hardest time finding a silverware holder that fit in a drawer or that I liked. So while at the desk during one of my shifts I googled "silverware holders." One lady had used flower pots. I instantly loved it and went after work to buy some. I found some in the clearance section of Walmart, took them home, and added a little snazz to them. I love how they turned out! Who would have thought--flower pots in the kitchen!

It just goes to show that any problem can be fixed and that anything can be made adorable, so smile as you go about your day and remember...it's the random reasons.

Recycling the Roses

It is crazy insane how fast a bolt of creative lightning can strike one's mind...or maybe it is just my eccentric and random self thinking up new ideas. We may never know. Well, yesterday, during my 2D design class I came up with this exciting new idea for an art piece to hang in my apartment this fall. It really had nothing to do with the lecture yesterday, which was about color theory and color practice, but it is very colorful, so I guess it wasn't purely just daydreaming.

A while back my boyfriend surprised me with a dozen red roses. They were beautiful. They smelled wonderful. They lit up the room. Wanting to make them last as long as possible I took a picture of them...with my phone. I guess I figured that there would be more to come in the future, so I didn't even bother dragging out the camera (hopefully there are more!). The picture went up for everyone to see on Facebook and I played around with it in Picnik so that I could make it look swanky for a background on my iPod. My new project will use that same picture 13 times in 16 sections. I am so excited! I created the project on the computer using Picnik, Paint, PowerPoint, and Shutterfly...I really should invest in some sort of photo editing software. Anyhoo, the final piece will be constructed out of canvas, some acrylic, and a lot of collage. So pumped about this! No worries...you will one of the first to know of the finished project, but for now, I am going to only give you a snippet of it.

So just remember that you can almost always get more than you think out of something you have already made beautiful.

And remember...it's the random reasons.