Balancing Act

Starting this blog I had all sorts of ambitious goals in mind. I wanted to share a bountiful amount of crafts/cooking etc and thought I could post daily or at least weekly. Well, one thing I have come to realize is that life is very much a continual balancing act. After busy schedules and bouts of Internet drama (my Internet likes to work about 2 days a month) I realized that my blogging has taken a back seat.

Sorry fellow crafters/readers if you have been hanging on the edge of your seats waiting for the next craft....i hope you haven't been waiting with bated breath. But I am presently entrenched in home remodeling. Nothing grand scale, just re crafting my space to give new life. Spring renewal, I am calling it. Since our house is 110 years old, I wonder how many spring renewals it has been given. I bet a few.

Hopefully I can find some time to blog about the fun ways I have been rearranging the abode. So far not much money has been spent except in the master bedroom a new set of curtains and bedsheets,(it's amazing what new sheets can do for a bedroom) and in the guest bathroom, we put up fresh paint and a new mirror and towel rack. Not a lot of moolah but a nice improvement. We are planning on gutting it in the next year, using the newly purchased items as well as adding more. It was a refreshing change to get us through.

I have also been moving things from room to room. I have seen stagers do this and though our house is not on the market I thought I'd give the idea a try. You know, it actually works. It's amazing how a piece of furniture looks totally transformed by just moving it to another room!

We have had this nook at the top of our stairs that has literally perplexed me for years, years! But I had an epiphany the other day to make it a computer nook. My husband was not so sure, but after it was completed he said "he couldn't imagine it anywhere else"! How is that for an accomplishment :)

Next on the list is a somewhat bigger endeavor. My sons big boy room! I am excited about this one. It is going to be a decorating undertaking, but I am looking forward to it. If fact I am sort of obsessing about it. I have a lot of ideas in mind and honestly he is not even ready to be out of his crib. Ha. I will keep you all posted on things I learn along the way.

Quick Party Tips

I like to host parties. I love it when I have a chance to decorate and entertain. I especially love using quick and easy ideas that really make a big difference in your food displays. I thought I could share a few of my quick tips to make even the most last minute party really pop.

Lemon wedges make everything prettier.

• Slice them thin and place them on the inside of a clear glass pitcher filled with ice water or any beverage. If you are limited on funds and can't have a lot of fancy drinks just spruce up the look of inexpensive drinks like water, tea and lemonade.



• Slice lemon wedges and place them in your vase filled with fresh flowers that match the theme or holiday. Flowers can be a cheap add on that makes your display so much prettier. Buy the bulk flowers from your local grocery, give them a fresh angled cut and slide in the lemon wedges for that little extra. The lemon wedges also help kill bacteria in the water so it has multiple functions.

Serve Drinks in a decorative bin.

• Buy a bag or two of ice and serve your beers, sodas or sparkling water in a metal or plastic bin filled with ice. You can get really cost effective bins at your local discount stores and they are reusable so it is a smart investment. Especially if you entertain a lot. Fill the bin half full with ice, place your drinks in a pleasing display and pour ice over rest. Voila, looks like a million bucks

Think about placement and unique ways to present necessities.

• Such as plastic silver ware. Try tying them (loosely) with twine in separate bunches and hot gluing a charm that matches your party to the twine. Example, a beach party; hot glue a sea shell to the twine and it can really tie the whole theme together. Very quick and cheap but makes even plastic silver ware more special.

Hopefully you can give these cheap quick tips a try at your next soiree! Happy planning!