"Life Is Better At The Lake" ~ A DIY Project

We finally moved to our lake house. We've been waiting for this for years, for the right place, the right time, etc.

But even better? I'd been waiting to make my lake house sign! I'd seen one at a store for $27 and could not get it out of my head! But I knew I could make one cheaper than that!

Husband and I purchased this sign from Goodwill for $1.99. I was looking for just the right sized board and the price couldn't be beat! It also had the hooks on it already...

I spray painted it with Rustoleum's Olive Green spray paint. It dried fast because there was a strong wind coming off the lake. It didn't matter if it wasn't perfect, because I wanted it to look older and weathered...

My friend cut out letters with her Cricut and I Modge-Podged them on...

I sanded the sides to make it look more rustic...

Ta-dah! I will probably spray it with a clear glaze. (We cannot get over the view here!)

Husband said it should hang in our kitchen so we can look at it everyday. I think he's right. Stay tuned as we remodel and decorate using very little money, repurposing what we have and getting our craft on...

Creating An Organized Home Office

We're in the process of moving, again. Which can be agonizing and exhilarating at the same time. The up side of a move is that I can use all those decorating ideas I've pinned on Pinterest!

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Unbeknownst to my family, we might actually end up with a turquoise and white laundry room. Sounds divine, doesn't it?

{from Pinterest, of course}

The other area in our home-to-be which will have to be addressed asap, is the office. I'm going to need one to house all my techie gear and paperwork. (Why oh why, do I still have paperwork?!?) Anyhoo...

As usual, this home office will have to be put together on very little money. I emphasize that point because decorating/organizing can get pretty pricey. Husband and I have always tried to be smart with our purchases, but people, we have three mouths to feed (not to mention an enormous dog!)

So this means we will be repurposing instead of purchasing. With that being said, we'll need some inspiration, read this article on how to create an organized home office with ideas from my favorite place; Pinterest.

Happy repurposing!

A Day In The Life Of A Retail Specialist

The days that I'm not working from home, I'm usually out merchandising stores. I just worked at an 8th grade Career Fair last week and tried to explain exactly what a retail specialist does. Everyday seems to involve graphic design, photography and phone calls!

Sometimes, I design plan-o-grams and wall elevations:

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Other times I'm moving things around and re-displaying them to help increase sales:

When I am at home, I might create an e-commerce store, design emails or create brochures for a client:

And if it's a particularly good day, I'm setting up client Facebook and Pinterest pages. :)

After six hours of talking, I wanted to say "Go to college and don't do drugs!" But seriously, in the end, it was a great opportunity to let students know that there are many great careers out there if you're willing to work hard and smart!

For The Love Of Turquoise!

Ever since I saw this duvet cover (from Young House Love,) I can't get it out of my head...

Unfortunately, I think West Elm no longer makes this one. :(

I've also fallen in love with turquoise, I'm finding it everywhere and not sure if Husband will agree to this color in our lake house.

Young House Love

And this kitchen, oh my...

House of Turquoise

What about this bathroom? Why is it not in my house?!?

Anyway, we'll see how it goes, maybe something small, or just one (or two) rooms...visit my Pinterest page and see what our plans are for our lake house!

DIY: Countertop Transformation

I want to do this in my laundry room!

According to my research, I would have to spend about $250 in order to update my mustard-colored countertop.

Have you tried this? Some reviews on Amazon say it's a mess and a hassle. What are your thoughts?

Visit Rust-Oleum for more details.

Repurposing for Free

Does your box of baking soda look like this?

Mine does. To keep it safe from spills, I cleaned a plastic container that held our grated Parmesan cheese and stuck a label on it.

Open the one side of the top and use in the fridge to absorb smells, or keep it in your pantry and use the other side to scoop out for when you're baking. Super cheap.

(FYI- the label is a blank address label, cut with fancy scissors which I wrote on! Free and easy!)