Jenna

My Snazzy iPad Bling

Published on May 9, 2013June 2, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

When I first bought my iPad about a year ago I picked up a purple case to protect it. At the time I thought it was perfect, simply because it was purple. But the more I used and traveled with my iPad the more I realized I wanted something a little different. I had purchased a wireless keyboard to use with the iPad, but it was cumbersome and required I pack an additional item and have spare batteries in case it died.

I’d looked at a few options locally, online and while traveling, but nothing spoke to me and most were more than I cared to spend unless it was perfect. So I decided I’d live with what a I had for a while until I found something just right. Then while waiting for me at the hair dresser’s my hubby unknowingly set my iPad on the radiator for a few moments and created a not so lovely pattern on the backside of the cover. While I’m glad it happened to the cover and not the iPad, it made me want something new even more. So I hit Google. It took some digging, but I finally found something that would work and for only $30 it was decently priced. I hit order and it arrived within a week.

The new case has an included, yet detachable keyboard which makes traveling much easier. It even has a built in wrist support! I have noticed that the keyboard is slightly smaller than normal so sometimes I type gobbley-guck without realizing it, but other than that it works like a dream.

The stand portion is a also a little small so I’m still figuring out different configurations and angles I can use, especially for my weekly Skype call with my family back east.

I do love the little tab that keeps it closed too. It is magnetized and will put the iPad to sleep when everything lines up when it’s closed, which is a nice little feature. Similarly the keyboard had a lock button that ‘sleeps’ the iPad instantly just in case you need to hide whatever you’re working on from those around you.

Overall it’s pretty yet professional, conveniently packaged for travel and storage and well, it’s purple! 🙂

Pottery Barn Knock Off Wall Medallions

Published on May 8, 2013June 2, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

I can’t explain why, but I’m completely drawn to anything with an exotic print or pattern. Perhaps it’s because of my plain Jenna, American apple pie background – you know, the whole you want what’s different and mysterious thing? Whatever the reason, it’s part of why I L.O.V.E. Pier One and Pottery Barn‘s eclectic accessories. So it was no surprise that I audibly gasped when I saw these in a Pottery Barn catalog a few seasons ago. And then quickly went into sticker shock when I saw the set of three ran $130! Um.. I don’t think so. No even if I had a gift card. I just have a mental block about over-priced items.

So I did what I always do. I pinned them for inspiration and kept an eye out for something similar at a more reasonable price. Then one day I found some wooden trivets at a yard sale in Kodiak. They looked pretty old and dried out, but the carving pattern was pretty similar. Plus the lady had three – small, medium and large! I tried not to act too interested when I asked how much she wanted. She glanced over and mumbled, “How about $5?” I don’t think a $5 bill ever flew out of my pocket so fast!

Unfortunately I wasn’t blogging back then and don’t have a before picture to share, but here’s a sneak peek at what they look like now. Of course when my hubby saw them he raised an eyebrow and asked just what I intended to do with them. I showed him my inspiration picture and explained I wanted him to paint them white for me. I don’t do well with painting since I’m usually in a rush and try to do thick coats instead of thin ones and usually create a pretty wide berth of over spray so we decided long ago that when it comes to painting he saves himself a headache and just does it for me. Yes, I’m spoiled, but he is too, so it’s an even trade! 🙂

It took a few coats because the wood was so porous and dry, but they turned out beautifully. Unfortunately we were living in military housing at the time which meant ALL of our walls were WHITE. Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE white walls? If not, just accept that I do. They make me feel like I’m in a cold hospital or crappy hotel room. That left me stumped on what to do with these newly painted pretties. So they sat in my project pile. Waiting for something to happen. And then it did. We moved!

90% of the walls in our rental are painted and I decided to do a Modern Exotic theme in our bedroom since we opted to do a road trip honeymoon rather than jet off to some foreign locale. The pattern fit right in with the other elements in the room and the white looks great against the colored wall. I hung them above the TV on a small wall that needed a little something to make it look finished and I’m very happy with the final look. Especially when my version comes in at just under $10!

Another Super-Sweet Craigslist Find!

Published on May 6, 2013June 2, 2013 by Jenna1 Comment

I’ve been looking for a dresser or hutch to live in our guest room while in the rental and then become the entry way table when we move into our new home later this year. I knew I wanted lots of storage, preferably with cabinets, but didn’t want to spend a lot if I still had to refinish it.

I had found this piece at a local antique store and fell in LOVE with it. I seriously daydreamed about it. But with a price tag of $1100 I just couldn’t commit.

I also found this one at a local furniture boutique and was smitten especially when I realized the bottom 5 drawers were false fronts making doors that opened to cabinets! But at $1600 I walked away again. So I continued watching Craigslist and the local refinisher’s Facebook profiles to see if I could find something similar at a more palatable price.

While browsing during a car wash – yes I multitask often! – I spotted a posting for a couple of dressers by someone moving out of state. One looked like it would work, although it didn’t have the cabinets I was hoping for. I showed the post to the hubs who liked it. So I called the guy and arranged to come take a look that afternoon.

Cash in hand we checked the piece over and noticed a sizable ding in the top front of the dresser. The hubs thought he’d be able to repair it when we refinish the piece, so I made an offer $25 less than what they were asking. And the seller accepted! It came with a matching mirror, which I wasn’t interested in but figured we could clean up and resell to off-set some of the cost of the dresser.

So we loaded it up and headed home just a few blocks away. Good thing it wasn’t far because this bad boy is MASSIVE and TALL. It was interesting getting it inside and upstairs with just the two of us but we did it. And then took a well deserved break.

I cleaned it up with some Old English and filled most of the drawers with my decor materials, leaving a few for guests to use. Unfortunately some of my larger decor pieces like my glass cloche domes and candlestick stands are too big to fit in the drawers and still have to be stored in the closet, but it holds 90% of what I wanted it to, so I think it turned out alright.

So what do you think we paid for this piece? Remember I’m a bargainista…..

Would you believe we brought this baby home for just $100?! It’s true! And that included the mirror which I’ll clean up and sell in a few weeks making it even more of a deal!

We don’t plan to refinish it until we move since it will likely get dinged and scratched on the way to the new house, so that gives me time to ponder exactly what to do with it. I’m sure we’ll paint it so that we can fix the ding in the top but need to decide on a color. We do have paint left over from the little sewing table nightstand we did while in Kodiak. Since the new house will have an extra bedroom to furnish there is a good possibility it could remain a guest room dresser. If we use the same gray/green color as the nightstand and distress it a little to show some brown it would make a nice ‘set’.

I did find this DIY tutorial to make the same style as the $1600 dresser, so we may still end up with that in our new entry way, but I’d want it to have a molding on the bottom so I’m not constantly fishing Sangria’s tennis balls out from under it, which is a feature I was very happy to get on this bargain piece. Although even if it didn’t, I’d still think I found a sweet deal! 🙂

My Little Corner of Paradise

Published on May 2, 2013June 2, 2013 by Jenna2 Comments

I’ve always thought orchids were exotic and high maintenance, so I’d never considered having one because the plants in my house have to be as hardy as the rest of the things in my home! Then the other day I was walking through Fred Meyer and spotted this orchid which looked exactly like one I’d recently seen on vacation at Balboa Park in San Diego and just had to stop and admire it’s beauty. That’s when I noticed the sale. The smaller orchids like this one were just $16! Really!? I’d always thought that orchids were expensive because of the attention they require so I thought it must be a typo or there is something wrong with this batch.

I decided to take a moment and read the tag attached to determine what the catch was. When I did it noted that orchids prefer bright to moderate indirect light and only have to be watered every 20-25 days. WHAT!? That’s it?! How did I miss that?!

I immediately decided I would be buying one and set out to find the best color combination available. I moved several around to compare and I’m pretty sure I gave another lady ‘the look’ when she attempted to move in on one of the options I was considering. In the end I was in love with this pink dalmatian pattern and the pot was a pretty mauvey purple so it would work well with my “modern exotic” theme in the master bedroom – which I promise to post about at some point soon. So it went into my cart and came home.

I decided it should live on my nightstand where I’d see it it every day, reminding me to water it occasionally. Plus that would provide good indirect light all day from the window near the back door in our room. It’s been about 2 weeks now and so far it seems pretty happy in it’s new local.

It’s addition has made this little corner of the room feel like a little slice of paradise just for me. I’m excited to watch the remaining bud open and unfurl more spotted petals. I’m not sure what the life cycle of an orchid is, so I ‘ll have to do some research on that soon, but for now I plan to just enjoy this stunning array of color each morning and evening.

The Perfect Little Side Table

Published on May 1, 2013June 2, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

I’ve been day dreaming about having a cute garden stool side table for some time now, but just wasn’t ready to fork out big bucks to have one. So I’ve been watching the sales and pinning ideas. I’d spotted one I really liked at Pier One, but it only came in dark blue, which just didn’t jive with the rest of my family room decor and at $125 I wasn’t interested in spending more to DIY it into the right color. Then the other day I decided to browse through Overstock.com just for fun. And I found this little gem.

It was originally priced at $130 but it was on sale for $106, plus free shipping. It was still a more than I really wanted to spend, but it was a good price and the reviews made it sound perfect. So I put it in my cart to ponder. Do you do ever do that? In the store I often put things in my shopping cart and wander around a bit to see if I still feel as drawn to them after I’ve seen other things. If not, I don’t buy it. I do the same thing online. I put things in my cart and if I forget about them by the next day then I figure I must not really love it or need it enough. But if I keep thinking about it then I’ll go back and click buy. Often times if you do this on retail websites where you’ve purchased before and registered an email address they will send you a “did you forget this?” email with a discount offer if you complete the purchase!

I couldn’t get the colors of the stool out of my head for the next two days so I when I got an email from Overstock I went back to my cart to complete my purchase. Although they didn’t offer me a coupon in the email, there was a coupon for purchases that day available on their website! I call that FATE! Unfortunately the free shipping offer disappeared when I entered my Alaskan zip code. That drives me crazy. They seriously act like we’re in a foreign country and some retailers won’t ship to AK at all! I realize that Hawaii shares the same problem, but I figure their warm sandy beaches and paradise lifestyle make up for it! 🙂

Although it wasn’t free shipping it did only end up being $30, which seemed very reasonable to ship a ceramic fragile item to the frozen tundra. And because I’d saved about the same amount with the coupon my total came to the sales price anyway.

I anxiously awaited my package’s arrival, tracking it like a mad woman online. And then I came home and there was a box in front of my garage door! I immediately carted it upstairs and unpacked it with glee. Not only was it lighter than I’d expected, but it was exactly the color I wanted. I nearly swooned. I’m in love with the details and color variations in the glazing.

It is a little shorter than the arm of the chair it sits next to, but it is still within easy reach and has just enough room to hold a glass and my iPad. Just what I need for my cozy evenings in my favorite chair. I forsee this little stool enjoying a LONG life at our home, likely spending time in different areas of the house. Great looks, good price and versatility? What more could a girl want from a simple little stool?

Our Morning Routine

Published on April 30, 2013June 2, 2013 by Jenna1 Comment

Most families have a morning routine and we’re no different. Ok, maybe we are a little different because ours involves on 80 lb Rotti coming into the bathroom for her daily blow dry and ear massage while the 60 lb Heeler incessantly nudges a ball closer and closer to your foot in hopes that you will kick it for her to chase.

This is the face I see in the mirror peeking over the counter every morning during this process. I’ve become very adept at blow drying my hair with one hand, while massaging Tequila’s ear with the other. I alternate between blow drying my own hair and her. When we’re done, if my husband is home at the time I tell her to “go show Daddy how pretty she is” and she promptly heads to wherever he is to receive his praise for looking exactly the same as she did when she came into the bathroom! It’s totally silly but it’s MY time with her every day. It’s our connection. I know it’s just extra petting and attention to her but, I secretly look forward to it and am a little upset if she’s not around while getting ready.

Meanwhile my other child has found her favorite ball – whichever happens to be closest when she wakes up – and is standing in the bathroom door way whining. And no matter how many times you do kick the ball she will come back expecting you to do it again, and again, and again. And should you dare to tell her no, she will give you a look of pure disbelief. She can seriously hold this pose for hours if she thinks you will actually kick the ball at some point. And yes, that ball does light up, which makes for a very interesting game of ball at night!

Sangria and I also have our own ‘girl’ time each morning when she comes and peeks around the shower curtain wanting me to flick water at her so she can catch it in the air. While I’d love to get a picture of this hysterical scene my DSLR wouldn’t do well in the shower and I’m already multi-tasking with getting squeaky clean and entertaining my youngest child. She takes it a step further and provides a personal ‘lick dry’ for calves when you step out of the shower. That is apparently her ‘pay it forward’ for playing ball afterwards!

I seriously love these two goof balls, regardless of how many dust bunnies or messes they create! As any mother can understand.

Craigslist Score

Published on April 29, 2013June 2, 2013 by Jenna1 Comment

I’m all about furniture that serves dual purposes, especially when that includes STORAGE! I knew I wanted some kind of antique trunk as a side or coffee table in our family room and was constantly searching Craigslist for a good deal because there was NO way I’d pay the $200-300 the local antique stores wanted for theirs.

Then one night while at dinner with my hubby, I was waiting to order, scrolling through listings on my iPhone. And there it was. But at just $40 I was certain it was a typo or a scam. Luckily, a few messages back and forth later, I was on this stranger’s doorstep the next afternoon picking up my new treasure. Apparently he and his wife are empty-nesters and are downsizing. Since it worked in my favor, I’m very happy for them! 🙂

Check out all her little details…

Metal embellishment

Not only does it pack loads of character, it holds LOTS of extra blankets we keep just in case the power ever goes out mid-winter in some freak storm since we DO live in Alaska and it DOES get VERY cold here. Plus if my rough-n-tumble fur kiddos crash into it with their play sessions no one but me will be able to tell!

She’s Speaking My Language

Published on April 28, 2013June 2, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

Yesterday I shared my new-found love of natural DIY cleaners and then spilled apple cider on the glass top stove in our rental while it was still hot! Talk about a mess!

So I promptly searched the Internet for “how to clean a glass top stove” since we’ve never had one before (and hopefully never will again)! I found a good tutorial that used baking soda and tested it out once everything cooled. It took some elbow grease, but it worked.

While browsing You Tube for ideas I stumbled across this video and was in hysterics because she sounds like the inner dialog I have while cleaning a big mess (except for her not so great idea at the end). So I just had to share it and hope it will bring you a laugh too.

DIY Natural Cleaners

Published on April 27, 2013February 6, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

Although I had already planned on switching to DIY ‘natural’ cleaning products when we moved, the massive collection of bottles that sat on my kitchen counter to be tossed as we packed reaffirmed my decision. I’d been on Pinterest long enough to know that most household cleaners could be replaced with concoctions of vinegar, water, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, but there were so many different recipes to choose from I knew I’d have to try a few to find the ones that I liked best.

How Does She? seems to always have good tutorials so I figured that would be a good place to start. I’d already picked up two spray bottles at Target, just because they were pretty – sad, but it’s the truth – and figured the Windex and Febreeze recipes I found here were something I’d use regularly. I already had vinegar on hand, so all I needed was some essential oils and because I had a coupon I headed over to Michaels to pick some up. “Lavendar” and “Tropical” in hand, I set out to play mad scientist.

Actually it was pretty simple. I was done in a matter of minutes. So fast I didn’t even think to take pictures of the process or the supplies I used! I decided my blue bottle seemed “tropical” so I made that the Windex bottle and the green seemed naturally paired with “lavender” so that became the Febreeze bottle.

I’ve used both and think they work just as well as the store bought competitors, although I didn’t find that the DIY Windex prevented foggy mirrors in the bathroom like the post said it could. But I’m ok with that. Especially knowing that my home is clean and as chemical free as I can make it. I’ve also done the toilet bomb recipe and think it will become the standard for our household. I didn’t try the sink cleaner as I’ve already been using the Dawn & Vinegar solution described here, which I keep in the shower, to give the sinks a quick once over when needed. It seems to do the trick, both in the shower and the sink.

As I add to my homemade cleaning stock I’ll probably create pretty labels for each bottle, but for now a simple “F” and “W” written with a paint pen will suffice in case I ever forget which is which. Although simply adding a spray nozzle to bottles of club soda and hydrogen peroxide (another How Does She? idea) won’t require labels. 🙂

I have plans to try out this wood cleaner recipe (since the store bought multi-surface leaves a film on our dining table) and this makeup brush cleaner as well. I’m still not sure about the laundry detergent recipes I’ve seen as none confirm they are HE compatible and I’m not about to ruin clothing or an expensive appliance to test it out.

Do you use natural or DIY cleaners? If so, which are your favorites?

A Little Green For My Cube

Published on April 26, 2013July 23, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

Now that I have a little green established at home I decided that the empty spot on my desk at work was the perfect place for a plant. But it couldn’t just be ANY plant. It had to be purple. Not only is purple my favorite color, it is also one of the colors of my new employer’s logo.

I originally planned to get an African violet, but I knew they can be a little fussy and high-maintenance. Not a good combo with my busy schedule. Plus the ones at the store already looked in need of a little TLC.

So I browsed the other options they had, pausing to consider bromeliads, peace lilies and more. Then I thought a coleus might be a good option because they have nice color and seem fairly hardy, but there were none to be found. I was about to give up when I spotted this purple tinged leaf out of the corner of my eye and decided to take a closer look. All the tag said was “tropical plant,” while suggesting indirect sun and watering when dry. I could handle that. And I remembered seeing a pretty purple pot at another store on sale that it would look FABULOUS in! So I picked out the one with the most stems and almost pranced to the register. I picked up the adorable purple pot the next day, added some left over rocks from my hanging terrariums to give it a polished look and viola! A custom purple plant for my cube for around $10.