Thirty Day Photo Challenge

I would describe myself a generalist. 

adjective /ˈjenərəlist/ 

Able to carry out a range of activities, or adapt to different situations

I know a little about a lot of things. That can be good and bad. Bad because a generalist never really "masters" anything and as a generalist I can tell you we often have 30 things going on at once so giving something like a specific hobby full attention just doesn't happen. 

Take for example, photography. I successfully completed a Black and White Photography class in college with a non-digital camera. Yes, digital cameras existed - I'm not that old! I love taking photos - always have. My hubby gifted me a sweet camera Mother's Day 2010 and honestly I'm still working mostly from the Automatic Setting.

So when I came across the 30 Day Photo Challenge from White Peach Photography on Pinterest I thought it would be a perfect way to start learning my camera.

I plan on doing a weekly post here on La La Bliss and will share the weeks worth of photo challenge pictures. 

Today is Day 1 and here's my finished assignment:

Day 1: Self Portrait

 

Chipping nail polish! My former, child-less self would be so disappointed and riddled with anxiety over non-perfect feet and toes. But these days I've got better things to do than worry about my chipping, unkempt toes.

Stay tuned...

Cheers,

Melissa

Sprinkle Station

Sprinkles are so pretty, festive and just plain cheery, so why not make them a permanent and functional decoration in the kitchen? I did!

I decided to turn an Ikea Spice Rack and Ikea Spice Jars into a fun "Sprinkle Station" for my little guy. He loves to bake with me and decorate baked goods. Like all kids, he really likes to eat sprinkles too. In fact, he probably thinks sprinkles are a food group.

How fun to add a dash of sprinkles to morning breakfast of pancakes or waffles? The sprinkles turn an everyday meal into something special and gives my son a chance to participate in the preparation (decoration) of his meal.

Best Veggie Sandwich [EVER!]

 

I'm switching up our menus here at the homestead. I've decided that we need to go meatless a few days a week. My hubby is a big meat and potatoes kind of guy, so this news will likely give him cause for concern. I love sandwiches and I super duper love Hummus, so I decided to put the two together and add some crunchy veggies to the mix. This sandwich is what I came up with. It was delicious and satisfying. 

Totally Tulle Crib Skirt

I finally finished up Pink Crayon's Crib Skirt. She's 7 months old. Obviously, I'm running behind on finishing her room. See, the thing is: I am NOT creative at all while pregnant. It's almost like my body is using ALL its energy to create the little miracle. I nest the last month or so of pregnancy and become a total pain in the butt to live with but I still never get the "creative itch."

Snazzy Display Pedestal

For items that will be used for celebration/decoration/presentation, my go-to color choice is typically some sort of green because it's gender neutral (good since I have both a daughter and son) and it coordinates with so many holidays: Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween (purple, orange and green are classic spooky colors - think Frankenstein), Easter, Spring, Summer, Birthdays, Thanksgiving (green goes great with fall colors). The only holiday green probably doesn't belong in is Valentine's Day. That's a red and pink holiday fo' shore!

Ikea Spice Rack Project Coming Up!

Some weeks are pretty crazy and it's hard to find time to blog. I've completed a few projects but haven't had the time to document them... yet.

I finally got around to sewing curtains for my daughter's room and our living room. I've literally had the fabric sitting in stacks in my living room for months. I'm in love with both fabrics - especially the fabric I picked for my living room. I've also made some accessories for both my son and daughter that came out very cute.

I'm also working on my own take of Ikea Spice Racks. They are cheap and lend themselves to more than just holding spices. What until you see what I did with mine! It's super adorable. I guarantee you'll be running up to Ikea to make your own. So stay turned!

Cheers,
Melissa

*** Check out my Sprinkle Station made from an Ikea Spice Rack.

Curvy Character [Adding Arches]

Want to know something about me? No! Too bad, I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm a minimalist at heart. I don't think a home needs to be big or pricey - just smart and cozy. Our humble abode was built with a VERY open floor plan which makes it difficult to add in the cozy factor. In fact all of the main rooms in our house open to each other without doors. The only closed off rooms are the bedrooms and obviously bathrooms.  I really love the bones of my house (with the openness there is not an inch of wasted space), but most newish homes are ... cookie cutter. That's no biggie, because you can add great character to a home with just a bit of effort and money.

Fancy Smancy Thread Display

Here's another tidbit about me. I  like to decorate my house with colorful, useful things.

While going though my sewing box I realized that I have some really beautiful thread colors. A light went off in my crazy brain... "hey, I should display these!" At first I painted the wooden circle plaque and dowel glossy white. So boring. Then I came across this pretty yellow ribbon holder from Directions Not Included.

And again another light went off, "Dah woman! Make the thread display super colorful to accentuate the threads." So that's what I did.

Behavior Beads. They Work, They REALLY Work!

Can you sense my excitement? Behavior Beads are working great! I'm thrilled to have something that helps to keep our little man in line without much fuss. It's been a week now and he's already earned his first prize. We switched it up a bit from my initial post. We decided to give him 5 beads, instead of the 7, we first thought we would allot him. He has to have at least 1 bead left on Saturday to earn his prize. Any extra beads he may have goes on a key chain. The week lasts from Saturday thru Saturday. The prize is not a mystery. We put the weekly prize up on a prominent shelf in the main room of the house (too high for him to actually touch). Several times throughout the day he will walk over to the shelf and look at and admire it. That's what works! His goal is relevant and "in his face."

We stocked up on "prizes" at Target when they were having a 75% off toy clearance. We were able to get WWE dolls for $2-$3.00. I know he should behave regardless of a prize, but he's only  4 and he's still adapting to his baby sister.

Cheers,
Melissa

Simple Vintage Inspired Earrings [Tutorial]

I was organizing my craft supplies today and came across some glitter buttons. Then I glanced over at my jar of cabochons. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I need some earrings, I bet these glittery, girly craft goodies would make some unique and stellar earrings!"

So this is what I came up with. I think they're simple and fun and sort of vintage looking. I have several pictures of my Grandmother from the 1960's where she wore round earrings similar to these.

Keep reading for instructions.

Crafty Chick Kit & Roaches of the Fake Variety

I have a very sweet niece who is incredibly talented and crafty. When her mother-in-law suggested a fun gift activity for her birthday, I was "In like Flynn." The idea was to have a different person bring the birthday girl a gift at the top of the hour for the day of her birthday. The fun part was the gift needed to be 28 of something (since she was turning 28). 28 Hershey Kisses or 28 buttons for example. It didn't need to be expensive, it was the cute thought that counted.

I decided to make her a Crafty Chick Kit. This is what I included:

Behavior Beads

Silkies Necklace and Football, Soccer, Basketball Beads

I have a 4-year old little boy. Some may define him as "spirited". He is intelligent, hilarious, intensely goofy, sweet, thoughtful, stubborn, handsome, amazing, loud and the list could go on and on. I think he's pretty awesome. I love his crazy spirit, but at the same time he needs boundaries. He's like a shark, if Homeboy sees a weakness - he goes right in for the kill. Another words, like most 4-year old children he's capable of manipulation and well... acting like a 4-year old. We've tried some behavior modification methods like time-out, treasure box, stickers, etc. None of those really worked too well.

I came across the idea of behavior beads on another blog. I thought I'd give this method a try. We gave him a necklace easy enough for him to put on and take off himself and filled it with 7 beads. I bought the beads and necklace at Joann's. I used a 40% off coupon for the necklaces and the sports packets of beads were less than a dollar per pack.

The way it works is if he has beads left at the end of the week (on a Saturday), he gets a prize. The prizes range based on how many beads he was able to hold on to. The dollar store is a good place to get prizes. Plus, trips out to the park or a scavenger hunt walk or watching a movie with popcorn are also great prizes.

So far so good. He gets the concept and is looking forward to his prize on Saturday. I'll let you know how successful it is next week.

Want some salty humor about raising a toddler/preschooler? Take a peek at this post from Divine Secrets from a Domestic Diva.

Cheers,
Melissa

Painting Tip [Baseboards]

I'm sort of OCD when it comes to baseboards in my house. I like em' bright white, glossy, dust and mark free. I like them that way, but lets just say these days with two kids they can tend to get dusty and marked up.

Keep reading for tip...

Sophisticated Tent

I called this tent sophisticated because its nice enough to go into a main room. I mean, when I was little, if I wanted a playhouse or tent I would use an old refrigerator box or sheet, so by comparison this tent is "sophisticated."