Closet in the Morning Sun

Since I purchased my 1953 Rambler in North Minneapolis in September of 2010, I have had a spectacular time organizing, and re-organizing, my home.  I'm sure it's fairly common for folks who go from years of apartment living to years of living in a home with more storage and space.

A few short weeks after I moved in, I began the redesign of the smaller of the two main-floor bedrooms.  I simply needed an entire room to keep my wardrobe, nothing wrong with that.  I painted the walls a cool, Robin's Egg Blue, but haven't bothered making a theme of it.  I love color and would hate to limit myself.

The bedrooms in my home are on the East side of the house.  This makes for the perfect setting in the morning.  While I get ready and pick out my outfit for the day, I (and my diverse collection of thrifted clothing) can bask in the sun shining in from the East facing window.  It just adds to the loveliness of the room. 

While I was standing at my closet this morning, I realized it was looking particularly warm and beautiful.  I snapped a photo of it and would like to share one unique storage idea I'm currently using to organize my collection of vintage and pre-owned scarves.

If you take a look at the scarves hanging on the door, you'll note that they are not all hanging on the same device.  The larger scarves are draped over a typical six-hook, over-the-door rack, but the silk scarves below are hanging on something a little different. 

I have a dog, his name is Archduke Diego.  I purchased a large crate for him a while ago and the crate came with a metal divider, used to separate a female dog from her newborn pups while they are crated.  Because I have a male dog, who doesn't really like being in the kennel, I re-purposed the metal divider and have it hung on my closet door for additional scarf storage.  Below is a photo of a cute little puppy inside one of the crates I'm talking about.  There are usable storage ideas all over your home!  You just have to be a little creative!

Patriotism via Nail Art

I have begun a new, and might I say, very fulfilling ritual.  Every Tuesday, I sit at my kitchen table and paint my nails.  Ok, it's only been three weeks, but I feel committed.  Nail Art satisfies a number of my appetites.  My appetite for creativity, beauty, solitude and it keeps me from biting my nails.  A terribly disgusting and unfortunate habit.  If you have this problem, try spending two straight hours painting your nails, it might make you think twice about giving them a good chew...

This week, I was inspired by a particular American holiday - I'm sure most of you can guess.  The 4th of July, Independence Day.  What better reason to paint your nails pretty colors?

Here's today's Instagram photo of my Red, White & Blues.

Some Do It Yourself Nail Artists out there may wonder how I created such smooth stripes, here's how:  I painted a few strips of scotch tape with my favorite red polish (two coats).   I then painted my nails with two full coats of white.  When the painted tape AND my white nails were dry, I carefully cut the tape into thin strips, using the edge of the scissor blade to guide a straight cut.  

After cutting the tape into strips, I snipped them to size and began placing them on each nail, one by one.  A nail clipper serves as the perfect strip clip.  It pinches the end of the strip around the edge of the nail prepping it for the next step, which, of course, is coat after coat of clear polish.  Be very careful that all the paint is dry, the colors will bleed very easily and ruin all your hard work with one stroke.

Touch ups on the red and white are easier with this technique as well.  If you're gentle, the tape acts as a barrier for wet paint.  Try stocking up on some small paint brushes.  They will save you a lot of headaches when you're touching up and your nail designs will last longer with every effort you make.

The blue is a bit more of an indigo or a darker, richer version of periwinkle.  Any shade of blue will work, I just picked this because the coolness of this particular shade didn't wash me out (I have very fair skin...blue isn't always my color).  I simply used a dot stylus I got at Michael's with white polish.  This particular stylus set is by Marth Stewart, but you can find a generic kit in the store too.  They'll be near the paint brushes.  I made sure to stagger the dots evenly.  I think it looks better and you can fit more of them on your nail.  It's easiest when you make one line of evenly spaced dots right down the center of your nail from cuticle to tip, then work out from there.  Take some time to practice if it's your first time using a stylus.  Practice makes for more perfectly symmetrical dots!

Thanks for reading!

Have a Happy 4th of July!!

Storage or Art? You decide...

A few weekends ago, I read an entry on Hammers & High Heels covering a DIY project for shoe storage in her dressing room.

This project is right up my alley.  I have an enourmous amount of shoes in need of some creative storing.  I rearranged my dressing room to allow for an entire wall to be covered in shoes.  Took the required measurements and went off to IKEA for the materials (which are surprisingly inexpensive).

I bought four 81"+ curtain rods (each having three brackets according to the product's specifications.)  We installed them in one afternoon.  The brackets have nice little covers to hide all of the hardware. 

 

The distance between the curtain rod and the wall is adjustable, so you can fit various sizes and styles of shoes in them.  I also purchased a couple packs of the rings for hanging curtains, but instead of curtains, I have hung scarves and handbags from them!

 

These curtain rods come in black, grey and white so they'll fit in any decor!  Everyone needs a dressing room, in my opinion...and as for the question in the title, I'm saying ART!

Frozen Yogurt DOTS!

 

A sweet treat idea now that it's finally warm here in Minnesota.  Super easy too!

 

Choose your favorite yogurt (you can add small pieces of fruit or nuts...be creative) and 'drip' the dots of yogurt on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Place them in the freezer until frozen.  The last step is obvious, enjoy!

 

 

TRESemme Saves the Day

I have been spending much time preparing for a weekend in my home town, Forest City, Iowa.  The weekend included a city wide garage sale and a photo shoot...My man, R.R., came with me and was able to snap a few shots of the photo shoot in progress...one of his photos is posted here.  More from the photographer to come at a later date!

It was an interesting day. 

The plan was to head to Heritage Park and take some shots with my photographer's father's '57 Ford, but upon awakening on Sunday morning (the day of the shoot) it was dreary and raining.  Needless to say, I was a bit pessimistic about the prospects of the day.  My hair has historically been very temperamental when it comes to humidity (as I'm sure many of you curly haired people know).  I stood in the hair care aisle in Pamida that morning for nearly 20 minutes deciding (and undeciding) what "humidity control" and "curl boosting" products to rely upon.  I settled on TRESemme - Climate Control Mousse and was very pleasantly surprised.  Hair care products for curls can be so hit and miss...which is why all curly haired individuals (even strangers to one another) always have the same conversation with each other..."I love your hair!  What on Earth do you USE???"

After applying the mousse and hoping for the best, I called the photographer.  The weather was a bit drizzly and the outdoor shots were a no-go at this point, but she had a solution.  I would go to her house for some indoor shots and we'd then play it by ear.  By the time the indoor shots were completed, the weather had subsided and it was time to head to the original shoot location!

Here's one of my favorites.  This is one of R.R's behind the scenes shots.  I will surely post more when I get them from the photographer.  This ended up being quite a delightful day!

Good Morning! from The Lowry Cafe

Yum!

This weekend, my mother, brother and I went to The Lowry Cafe on Lowry Avenue in North Minneapolis.  We all ordered breakfast, although we were there late enough to enjoy the lunch menu as well.  The place is wonderful.  The staff have always been very friendly, calling everyone Dear, or Honey...you get the idea...

The walls are adorned by art from local artists.  The Goddess of Glass is just next door and from what I gathered, the pieces decorating the walls came from her.  I regularly go out for breakfast once per weekend.  My Hun Bunny and I have made it somewhat of a routine to find a different location every Saturday morning.  He, however, went to Milwaukee this weekend to celebrate his mother's birthday...sad I couldn't go to celebrate along with them, but I had my own celebration to attend.

I ordered French Toast and my token Chocolate Milk (which was mixed right in front of me...just the way I like it!  They even asked my preference of chocolatiness...very thoughtful).  My brother ordered the special, Corned Beef Hash.  We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals, but I only took a photo of the omelet.  While delicious, the french toast and hash's presentation left something to be desired.  This is a photo of the hearty and HUGE veggie omelet my mother ordered.

The prices are very fair and the location is prime for me...being just blocks from my home in North Minneapolis, and perfect for a Saturday morning jaunt.  Head to the post office to take care of business, purchase a sweet token of affection for a loved one from the Goddess of Glass and get the tools and supplies you need for your next inevitable home improvement project at North End Hardware. 

More on all these fab N. Minneapolis businesses at a later date. 

Rainy Day Tune

It's a dreary day...

but this song always puts a spring in my step.