Domestic

I will never be an art connoisseur, or one who is fully engrossed in a trip to an art museum (or any museum for that matter), but I do believe in surrounding myself with beautiful, inspiring things… and art is one of those things.   Because I am working on a budget these days, I am not commissioning pieces or shopping in fancy art districts for things to decorate my home, but i wanted to share some of my favorite places for “art on a budget.”

1. Minted.com – this site is amazing for numerous reasons.  First, they have gorgeous stationary (I did my wedding invites through them), but they also have beautiful prints as well as limited addition photographs, etc. I’m loving this, and ordered this and this. Check it out!

2. Etsy.com – Most of you know of this I’m sure… but I’m truly obsessed. For $30 I received a GORGEOUS painting of a lovebird from… ITALY! J wanted to know why i was receiving a package from Italy, only to open up this beautiful watercolor with a hand written thank you note. FOR $30!!! I still can’t get over it.  I also bought these adorable post cards to frame in my home… for $1.50 you can’t beat the price! They have great graphic prints as well… I’m currently lusting for this, this and this.

3. Paper Source – Online or in the store this place is a win.  I love to frame their gorgeous paper and for $2-7 each you can’t really beat it (plus there should be extra left over to wrap gifts). I recently just scored this one.

4. Papyrus – I love to frame cards as well, and Papyrus (and Paper Source) are great spots to score some inspiring/funny/stunning finds.

At the end of the day it’s your house/office/room and I feel anything goes as far as art is concerned.  My college roommate – Erin, framed a letter from her trip to Europe (long story), and I think it is the coolest thing ever! So get decorating!

Art (from left to right): Gilt/Paper Source/Etsy/Michaels/Minted

I am a clean freak.  I love everything to be organized and in it’s place. Unfortunately I sometimes forget I live with someone now, and he doesn’t always know where my secret hiding places are – cue the label maker.  This device has saved us from many a fight and I highly recommend you go to Costco and pick one up ASAP.

While you are there pick up some shoebox sized plastic containers and get to organizing! Our house is VERY tiny, so every space has to be smartly used. We have barely ANY closet space, so I turned our bathroom cabinets into a “storage home base.” 

I created the following containers for our bathroom, and then have made some (that we use more infrequently) to be stored in our garage:

• Shampoo/Conditioner (full and travel sized)
• Hair Products (gel, hair spray, volumizer)
• Soaps and Scrubs (hotel samples, scrubs)
• Lotions and Beauty Products (lotions, cleansers, deodorant)
• Medicine (Advil, Airborne, Band Aids)
• Nail Stuff (nail polish, polish remover, nail files)
• Sunscreen (sun screen, after sun care, lip sunscreen)
• Oral Care (toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss)
• Shaving Products (extra blades, razors, shaving cream)

I also bought a airline regulation sized clear plastic bag (thicker and more reusable than a Ziplock) and extra travel sized necessities to have on hand when we are carrying on.  It makes it a lot easier to pack when all you have to worry about is the “fun stuff” – ie clothes and jewelry.

Just a few ideas to get you started… it really helps to save space putting everything in it’s own container, opposed to standing everything up on shelf (plus it looks better – in my opinion).

Outside in the garage we have a few more containers:

• Vacuum (attachments for our Dyson)
• Party Supplies (extra straws, gift bags, candles, etc.)
• Light Bulbs
• Manuals (great to not have to search for them when you can’t figure out how to work something)

Ok so not flawless… but on the path to!

One thing I love about J is his desire to also have a “pretty fridge.” We love matching water bottles and rows of pretty drinks, but as I’ve been cooking more, we’ve needed to make room for the “not so pretty stuff” (guess that cameo in Cribs isn’t happening anytime soon…). Here is the method to our madness:

Top Shelf: Beers, Waters, Soda, Mixers

2nd Shelf: Wine, Milk, Dairy (Sour Cream, etc.)

3rd Shelf: Meat, Tofu, Misc.

Top Drawer: Cheese, Lunch Meat

2nd Drawer: Heartier Fruits and Vegetables (ie Broccoli)

3rd Drawer: Lettuce, Herbs

Top Shelf in Door: Savory (Pickles, Dips, Sauces, etc.)

2nd Shelf in Door: Main Condiments (ie Mustard, Mayo)

3rd Shelf in Door: Sweets (Jams, Hot Fudge, etc.)

Bottom Shelf in Door: Ethnic Sauces, Marinades, etc.

Thanks to Pintrest I’ve learned a lot of “refrigerator rules” and here are some of my favorites:

• Berries: Wash berries with a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 8 parts water. Let berries soak for a few minutes then lightly rinse and store in a Tupperware.  Before I did this, my berries spoiled in a few days, now they last 3 weeks!

• Cheese: Wrap cheese in wax paper and then place in a plastic baggie or wrap in foil (do NOT put in plastic wrap)

• Juice: Freeze fruit juice (i.e. lemon/lime/orange) in ice cube trays for future use (Great if you have a fruit tree, and can’t consume everything in season!)

• Bananas: Wrap the crown of bananas in plastic wrap (Don’t refrigerate – keep separate from other fruits/veggies)

• Salad: Put a paper towel on top of salad to keep it fresh longer. I also do this when I pack lunch salads for work.

• Celery/Broccoli: Wrap celery and broccoli in tin foil before storing in the fridge  

• Tomatoes: They should be kept at room temperature on the counter away from sunlight (not touching each other, stem side up)

• Mushrooms: Store in a paper bag

• Don’t mix fruit/veggies/meat in the same drawer!  I keep salads/herbs in one drawer and more heartier fruits and veggies in another.

• Invest in some clear glass containers to store food.  I also keep scotch tape and a sharpie near by to write dates on leftovers and cardboard containers (i.e. almond milk, chicken broth)

One of my favorite reads as of late has been The Happiness Project.  It was a great book about a woman who spent a year bettering her life by working on different areas of focus each month – her home, her relationships, her experiences…all in the attempts to become a more well rounded and happier person. 

I gained a lot from her book (so much that I am reading the next book in her series) but one of my favorite takeaways was to start a “Happiness Journal.”

I’ve kept a journal for many years, but I tend to be really good at writing for the first few months then fall off of the band wagon when I start to feel overwhelmed.  With a happiness journal you just write a sentence or two about your highlight of your day or a moment when you were in a blissful state.  Reading the book has made me more attuned to moments of happiness and writing them down (in fun colored ink no doubt) has been a great ending to my day.  

Plus when I look back at past entries, you can’t help but smile – remembering certain moments, memories, experiences that sometimes can be forgotten.  

Just don’t forget to get a fabulous journal to document your happy moments in… and a great pen doesn’t hurt either!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

I have always loved Valentine’s Day, maybe because my mom always made it such a fun holiday to celebrate, or maybe the color scheme or the hearts… I don’t know.  But despite the fact I can count on one hand (not even using all my fingers!) how many times I’ve celebrated this day with a boy, I am very happy to get to celebrate it with J this year (today also marks our 7 month anniversary…time really flies!). 

I am so lucky to have married my love, my partner in crime and my best friend.  He understands my obsession with flowers and coffee table books, he respects my OCD and my obsession with everything having it’s “place,” he lets my reality TV shows take up most of the DVR space, and he is the best travel buddy a person could ask for.  He is the smartest, funniest and most generous and motivated person I’ve meet.  I look up to him so much and am so proud of him each and every day. 

Happy V-day J… I love you! xoxo