Updating Plastic Drawers

Before I bought a house, my husband and I moved around, a lot. We never really bought enough furniture to hold all of our clothing (plus my junk) etc. I purchased several of those 3 tiered plastic storage bins on wheels. They work like mini dressers, craft stations, hide all your junk you have no other place for containers. They are great! Downfall, they are ugly. Companies tried to make them fun, bright colors (higher prices), wider drawers etc. I am too old for a bight purple bin sitting front and center in my tiny room. I have seen many creative people use modge podge and basically redo the entire thing. I think they look great, but I am WAY too LAZY for that! Below is my quick solution. I didn't even worry about making the paper go all the way to the top of the drawer, just to where there was a line that made life easy. I used some extra scrapbook paper I had laying around.

The beginning of hiding my junk

I measured with a ruler to the line, then cut the paper to fit. The nice thing if you use a 12x12 scrapbook piece of paper is, you only have to cut straight across to the measured height. These containers have 12 inch drawers. I used scotch tape to hold the paper in place (no messy glue or drying time)

Finished in less than 5 mins

I used map looking scrap paper, but you could use old maps if you had any laying around. Or, pick out paper that goes with your decor. I made this really easy for me, but you are welcome to get really crafty and bust out the glue and fancy paper and show me up!

I'd love to see what you came up with! :)

Fostering Dogs

We bought a house, we rescued a dog. For me that seemed like the American thing to do. Then of course, we wanted another. I had known people who had fostered dogs, and the thought had always been in the back of my mind. So, I jumped. I think that is the only way to really start. You know a shelter animal dies every 8 seconds, so I figured if I can just save a few a year I should.

It all started with Bella.

Look at that face!

She was a 10 year old Bluetick Coonhound sitting in a shelter. Cement floors, no real bed, as much love as volunteer staff could give her. I got to thinking...If I was an old lady, and no one wanted me, how would I feel? So, I made a call to an amazing person who made a call, then before I knew it, I had this lovely lady in my yard. She was soooo stinky and dirty (plus a little chubby), but we loved her from the beginning. We created her FB page, and waited! It took a week before I was given a contact who had been interested in her while she was in West Virginia. At the time, they thought she was too far away, but NJ, that was a bit closer! We figured out the logistics, and within a months time, our Bella was on her way to her wonderful/perfect/amazing/loving/caring (it goes on) forever Mom! It felt great!! This little lady went from West Virginia, to NJ, to Maine! So never let distance stop you from getting what you want!

Next came Missy.

OMG!!!

This lady is a 4 year old Treeing Walker Coonhound. She came from the same shelter that Bella came from. I like this place, and I want to be able to help them as much as I can. So this pretty girl came to my rescue, filling that missing piece of my heart that Bella took with her. She took a little longer to get adopted. We had her from the first week in Jan, until, well, tonight! (which prompted me to write this post) People were nervous about her age (4!!!!!) and that she was a hound, and they didn't hunt. (fyi, hounds are family couch potatoes that don't need to hunt).



Next in line is Helen. I don't have her yet, but hopefully by the end of the month!

Another beautiful lady!!!

I am just not noticing a trend in the dogs! I love HOUNDS!!! Helen is a Redtick Coonhound. I can't wait to tell you her story!

If you want to help get her to me, please feel free to chip in!

http://www.youcaring.com/other/Vetting-and-Helen-s-Ride-to-Freedom/46485

Contact your local rescue and ask how you can become a foster! It is so rewarding to see them go from down and out to up on top of the world!

Crunchy Chickpea Snack

Crunchy Chickpea Snack

I don't know why these have intimidated me for years, but I finally gave them a shot. I love chickpeas and spices, all I needed to do was pop this love affair in the oven!

Here is what I did...

1) Lazily opened a can of chickpeas, rinsed and threw them in a bowl
2) Drizzled olive oil and dashed with cumin, garlic powder and salt (do it to your taste and play with spice options)
3) Placed them on a cookie sheet and tossed them in  @ 400 degree oven
4) Every 10 minutes, stirs those babies!

Bake for 40 minutes or until crunchy.

From a thrift store to a photo shoot

Well it's Thrift Shop Thursday! These photos are from last year, so I can't take credit for buying them this week. The photographer is Michelle Smith, located in Sewell, NJ. This was just a fun little outing for no real reason!

One nice thing about thrifting it is you don't look exactly like every other person walking the street. Sometimes girls/guys look like advertisements for H&M and Forever21 (don't get me wrong I love those stores). My personal taste is all over the place, and I love the thrill of the hunt! I set a budget for myself and see how many awesome things I can get for one low price!

This photo shoot(insert model hobby) I did wearing mostly thrift store finds, and a few other regular store sale items I had laying around.

I hope to inspire you to at least pop into a local thrift store and see what they have to offer. I like shopping them for a few reasons, of which I will state now!

1) Uniqueness
2) Cheap!!!! You won't believe what you can get name brand items for
3) Green. You won't be purchasing from a store that needs to restock its shelves and recycling!
4) Helping others. Most of my thrift stores benefit those in need. Examples: One is for a Children's Home, one feeds the homeless, another helps raise funds for those who need funds for hospital stays (to name a few)  I have stopped shopping at Goodwill and Salvation Army, but if that is all you have around you, give them a look too!

Here are a few shots!

$8 vintage dress, 99 cent necklace, 1.99 clip on earrings, clearance target boots

2.99 vintage shirt, 3.99 pants

Vintage shirt 99 cents, vintage skirt 2.99, scarf 99 cents, clearance target shoes

The hair and makeup were nothing fancy, just done by myself.

The direction I was going for here was vintage, which is not always everyone's idea of fashion. Don't worry though, I will have more normal styles coming up in future blogs!

A little paint...goes a LONG way

Want to update your home? When we bought our house, the whole thing was a mixture of yellows. Not bright sunshine yellow, but yellow you might find in a diaper. (exactly) We had been doing major reno lately, we had to knock down all the walls in the 3 bedrooms we had, so finally making it down to the second floor took a little longer than planned. I had been going insane looking at the dining room/kitchen in that nasty yellow color, so one day I snapped and bought some paint. We decided that having some imperfections in the wall was going to be ok, and that we would just spackle a little to fix major bumps. I did a few swatches, fell in love with a light grey, then got started!

We use the Behr paint and primer in one. The color we chose is called Gentle Rain. (I love it!)

Here are the before and afters. You tell me what you think!

Yellowish-Brownish

Testing out swatches

On it's way to Gentle Rain!

This is really just a middle of the way picture. I will post a finalized photo in a separate post bc since this paint job, we have added new windows (installed by my husband), granite counter tops (not installed by us) and assembled a pantry style shelving unit. (installed by us!) Once we get the rest of the trim up around the window I'll snap the pic and show you the cost breakdown.

Flea Market Finds!

It's Tuesday. For some, this can be worse than Monday. My advice to you, look at cute owls online. Ha. Always works for me! Here is a little more treasure hunting inspiration. Let me know if it's working.

Yes, along with Thrift Shopping I enjoy walking flea markets. You would too if you gave it a try! Yummy foods, treasures to be found, conversations to strike! My flea market is always friendly and fun. A lot of misconceptions about flea markets are that trashy people shop there, stuff is dirty or smelly and "there is nothing for me there". Technically you can find that everywhere. I have tried some clothing on in a mall that was a little too worn for my taste, and some places stink! Ha. Anyway, not sure where I am going with this! How about I just show you a few cute things I picked up in hopes of getting you excited to go out and save/spend some money!

Like owls?

Super cute 1979 sugar and cream set. 2 bucks!

Need a flower vase? Juice container? Wine carafe?

Adorable right??? $1

How about the same thing but bigger?

I have 4 of these already. They hold a full size bouquet! $.25 (yes, a quarter)

I also scored a pair of vintage lucite sunglasses ($2), a brass unicorn bookend ($2) , a vintage boned red velvet corset top ($1) and 3 stuffed animal dog toys ($1).

Not all of these things may be your cup of tea, but there were thousands of things that I didn't buy! Just think of how lovely it would be to give someone a gift in a vase this unique, or to spray paint a book end to be that pop of color that you have been looking for!

The possibilities are endless! Be the modern day treasure hunter you have always wanted to be!

No Arms No Legs No Worries

Here is some Motivation for your Monday

This post is about perspective. I always try and search for positive news on the internet, and although often hard to find, every now and then a gem pops up. For me this is not a tear jerking one, but one of just plain good advice. We constantly live in a world where we want to change ourselves. It could be from wanting to lose weight, clear our skin, hide a birthmark, buy the latest clothing we can't afford, the list goes on. This video shares the story of one man who manages to carry on, be happy, healthy and positive, all without arms and legs. He is a motivational speaker. I wouldn't doubt that he is also a life saver. Watch the video, share it with your friends, make a difference <3

http://samuel-warde.com/2013/02/the-most-inspiring-human-being-youve-never-seen-video/

Gluten Free Soy Free Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

I was checking out some pins shared on the VegNews boards today, and I came across something that I had to make asap. I am a big fan of the classic pairing of Lemon and Poppy Seed. I can't help it! I love lemon and the crunch of little poppy seeds keep me entertained. So, I pull up the recipe and start whizzing in the kitchen. *sudden pause* apple puree??? Hmmm, I don't have that. So, I thought, apple sauce! *another pause* don't have that either. Looks around...rotting banana? Perfect! I never follow a recipe. It must be a disease. I was determined to follow this one, but it wasn't in the cards. Luckily I know my substitutions pretty well, and these turned out YUMMY!!

Here is the link to the original pin (gotta give credit where credit is due)
http://www.includingcake.com/2012/09/lemon-poppy-pancakes.html

And here is my version!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Bob's Redmill GF All purpose mix.

¾ tsp baking powder
Tiny pinch salt
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
3 Tbsp Smashed Banana

Juice and Zest of one whole lemon

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1/3 cup Almond Milk with 1 tsp chia seeds mixed in

Method:

Mix the chia seeds and the milk together first and let it get slimy (yum right?) 
Mix all the dry ingredients together
Add mashed banana and mix with a fork
Add in the rest of the ingredients


It makes a think batter, but don't worry, they puff up :)

I use a spray of olive oil on a hot pan and cook until they are done to my liking. I have to apologize to those of you who like a lighter colored pancake. I like when mine have a slightly crunchy skin to it, so they are typically a little darker.

Tada! Serve with whatever makes your heart flutter. In my case, too much earth balance and a ridiculous amount of maple syrup.

Makes 4 medium sized cakes :) Now get cookin!

Helping the Beaches Recover from Sandy

I am sure you have read the news a time or 2 in the past few months. NJ beaches took a beating in October when Hurricane Sandy came to town. I luckily live an hour West of the beach, but those that lived down there were not so lucky. I took this as an opportunity to give back to the beaches that have given me so much in the past years (LBI!!) and as a chance to teach my wonderful nieces how to be active and give back as well.

 I know in times of disaster people often feel helpless. I know I do. I am writing this post to show you just how helpful you can be, even if you live really far away! Here are some things you can do!

1) Donate money to whatever organization you believe will do the most good.
2) If you have a FB, share/join events and spread the word on cleanups, food and clothing drives, donations etc.
3) If you live close enough, make a trip to the location. Speaking of our experiences here, you could have called any church and they would have directed you to the closest shelter if they didn't have one themselves.
4) Start a donation drive! A few of my friends posted on their FB walls that they would collect local donations and do all the leg work to get them to the locations!
5) If you are in high school, start a group for fundraising/donation collections!

These were just a few things that I saw popping up around on my FB walls and community when the disaster happened. I am sure I am leaving many things out, but the possibilities of helping those in need are endless! It has been many months and so much help is still needed here. If you want to help, contact me and I can fill you in on what I know! Just keep in the back of your mind that no gesture of help is ever too small! Just think if the whole world made small gestures, big things would happen!

Team Beach Bums for a Cleaner LBI!

One small site we cleaned

Another trip down, cleaning LBI bay

Cleaning Bay access. The house wasn't built there, it drifted.

I am dedicating this post to my awesome nieces, who every time I call them to wake up early on the weekend, they jump at the chance to go help others!

Thrift Shop Thursday, DIY high waist jean shorts

Since Thursdays are typically my thrift shopping days, I plan on showcasing some of my finds. I can't promise the post will be up on Thursday, most likely Friday, but I will definitely get something up asap. It's hard to spend all day treasure hunting then find time to write about it. (I usually shop til I drop!)

When I shop I try to manifest what I am looking for. Yesterday I was in the market for a pair of those reallly ugly 1990's high waist jeans. (in the ugliest color possible!) My intentions for them were to make a cute pair of distressed shorts, like the kind I have been noticing on high priced racks across the mall! (I can't pay $50 for shorts!) My first store was a score! I found 2 pairs! One actually fit me, the other I will sell on my etsy store ( WinterGreenVintage) 

Here it goes...

I forgot to take a picture before the cut!

I had cut my jeans to the length that I wanted. I have really long legs, so I tried not to make them too short.

They already look much better!

Now that I had them cut to the length I wanted, I had to start distressing them. What I did to fray the edges a little bit was take a coarse nail file, hung the cut ends over a box, and just ran the nail file across in different directions to get the fray started.

The nail file work on the edges. 

Next I love adding rips and tears. Might as well go all the way if you are already wearing cut offs!

Adding the tears

So to add the tears, you have to make 2 cuts in the jeans as big as you want the tear to be. When you have the shorts in front of you, the cuts will be a top and bottom cut (horizontal with the shorts). Then all you have to do is start pulling out the colored threads with tweezers. Sometimes this part takes a good bit of time to get the first thread out, but once that happens, they all start coming out much easier.

Do these poor illustrations help??

My finished product! Cost = $2.99

I don't add tears to the back bc my underwear is never that cool! 

Inspired to save money? I would have shown a picture with these on, but I still have my winter legs, so I am doing your eyes a favor! You can do this! Just start your cuts on the long side so you don't make booty shorts off the bat (unless you were going for that). You can google "how to distress jeans" and they can show you youtube videos of how to make the tears I attempted to explain (probably confused you).

I'd love to see your thrifting finds! Feel free to share!!!