{ DIY Man Organization... }

What a gorgeous & blustery Monday afternoon it is!! I hope everyone is having a happy & productive day thus far! Today I'm here sharing a little DIY my husband took on this weekend...Yes, he actually came up with this & pretty much executed it with a few little exceptions & finishing touches!! A few weeks back I mentioned via Instagram that we had found some scrapped chippy green dresser drawers & to stay tuned as to what we were going to do with them...well we finally found them a home in our laundry room. My husband uses our laundry room all the time from in the morning getting dressed to coming home & throwing his mounds of clothes everywhere { He's worth it } haha ! It's a semi large space with a cozy clean , yet rustic feel..it's not fully finished ,but it's still cute & gets the job done! 

 

I know.. don't cringe at the picture on the left..it wasn't always like that..but then comes along my dear husband & well you get the picture..;) ! Anyway, we had these free rustic drawers & they made pretty great rustic storage bins for all his work clothes!! 

 .......................................................................................................

1.) Apply the letters, I used some from +Michaels Stores ! Just peel & stick & make sure they're secured in place to paint over! Apply painters tape around the lettering in  square { It doesn't need to be perfect }..remember it's rustic!!

 

  2. ) Apply a thin layer of paint using the feathering technique so the lettering doesn't come off or move. I also recommend using a sponge brush..

3.) Allow the paint to dry { Chalk paint dries within 25 minutes usually } take the stickers off before the paint hardens completely!!

Side Note: I also took a wire brush & went over the lettering after for a more chippy aged look..this step is optional!!

** I used Americana Decor chalk paint in a custom color I made..It's a blue/grey color!! 

........................................................................................................

 

- Misc, Socks & Rags -

 

I love how these little labels turned out! They looks like they've been on these little vintage drawers forever! 

 Thought I'd throw in a picture of our laundry room..Thinking that table needs a little TLC pick me up too ;)..

 Everything in this laundry room including the two wood cabinets, table & vintage accessories etc.. are all garbage finds! The rug is from +Big Lots  $20!! 

I hope you all have a great rest of the week & have enjoyed this simple budget friendly rustic & manly DIY organization...that was a mouthful haha! 

Paige.Rose

http://www.karensuponthehill.com/something-to-talk-about-link-party-10/

 http://www.tinysidekick.com/the-makers-no-59/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Tinysidekick+%28tinysidekick+rss+feed%29

http://theblissfulbee.com/work-it-wednesday-no-91/

http://akadesign.ca/weekend-retreat-link-party-113/

 http://www.iheartnaptime.net/link-party-palooza-87/

{ Checklist to Buying a House! }

Happy Late Monday & early Tuesday!!! I trust you all had an amazing weekend! It was in the mid 30's here in the north...I know, heat wave for us ha-ha, but we did manage to get some much needed spring/ summer preparation supplies for the yard & more! As we were picking up some yard supplies  { gravel, umbrella, etc.. } we started thinking about moving!! If you've been reading my blog since last year you would know that 2015/ early 2016 will be the year we are moving...again! This will be technically our 2rd house & 3rd home { 1st place was a condo }! Our 3rd home will be our semi permanent home for the next 10 years & this time we have some check points that need to be addressed & hopefully executed to some extent! Today I'm sharing some information & tips other then just financial advice to help the buying process be as efficient as possible!

Photo Property of The Quaint Sanctuary

1.) Be sure the area { city , township,county, providence etc.. } is low in crime, & desirable for your needs! Make sure if you're involved in activities that they're in reasonable accessible distance etc..!

2.) Make it a point to meet the neighbors & cruise the neighborhood for activity/perspective and familiarize yourself with your potential extended neighbors/ neighborhood! 

3.) Check things out that you wouldn't think twice about like where your bedroom is located in the house? Is it close to a neighbors driveway, street, building etc..?!

4.) Check the listings of other homes in the neighborhood from the past & present year to detect the median house range, & value indications! 

5.) When inspecting a potential home make sure it has at least some of the major items you would like { Example: Fireplace } . Things like adding a fireplace, brick wall, island, patio, extra rooms etc.. are all high cost jobs that could  potentially be over-updating the house in that priced neighborhood! This is a real issue if you EVER plan to sell again & plan to make at least some profit when trying to resell! I know it sounds insane ,but there is such thing as updating your home too much for a certain area. Do your research & replace with price/material sensible products for that location!!

6.) Make sure that the land  the house is on is big enough for any extra ' toys ', vehicles, or even expandable if need be! Check the zoning laws & city codes/ordinances!

7.) Check the animal laws if you plan on adopting or adding any pets to your family! Each city has its own laws & regulations on this matter, and it can be tricky!!

8.) Make sure all the major appliances / structures in the home  work or have at least another 3-5  years life to them. Having to repair major issues in a home can set you up for failure & cause other internal / external issues in a home !

9.) Be sure you LIKE the house! I know this sounds crazy or a given, but in many cases people just jump into a home because of time crunches, desperation or lack of information. If you don't like the style or design of the home that's a red flag NOT to buy!!!

10.) Check the school district out even if you plan on not having children! If you ever decide to sell this is a big either plus or minus depending on how the school system in that city/ district is rated! 

 I hope these tips & tricks help you make the perfect decision on your new home!! 

 Have a great

Paige.Rose 

Sponsorship or Featured On --->

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankenmuth

 

{ Key Lime Pudding Cake Parfait }

Happy Tuesday & St. Patrick's Day guys!! I'm a bit Irish, so I'm celebrating by making a greenish dessert he-he { more so because my hubby is a sugar addict }! This simple & actually refreshing dessert is so easy to make & it makes quite a bit to share with friends & family for special occasions or just because!  Keep reading for this yummy treat & recipe below. 

 

.. Ingredients ..

• 1 jar key lime pie filling
• splash of pure lime juice
• half a bag cinnamon graham crackers
• cinnamon
• 4 cups vanilla pudding
• pinch of powder sugar
• 1 lemon cake mix { 4 eggs, oil, water }
• pinch of almonds
• banana slices for garnish
• 1 container vanilla frosting

.. Directions ..

This is my very own recipe so I will explain simply what I did ,but I don't have exact recipe as I wasn't reading from a card or Pinterest pin. I baked the cake to the directions on the box, with he exception of adding 4 eggs instead of 3 for a more moist cake! After the cake was cool I cut both cakes { I used two round glass pie dishes } in the middle into mini round cakes. I placed the first one in the bottom of the parfait dish & covered it with the key lime pie filling. I then placed the second piece of  cake on top of the first piece & covered it with the 4 cups of vanilla pudding.The liquid will fill the sides or should , if not use a spoon to cover top of cake pieces & the sides. After the second piece of cake is covered in the vanilla pudding take the crust from one of the cakes & place around the outer edge of dish as perfect as possible. Cover this last step with 1/3 container vanilla frosting or less . Pour the smashed up graham crackers on the top of the frosting & garnish with some cinnamon. Take a few pieces of almonds & banana slices & garnish top in a little circle & chill !!

  

First layer before the key lime filling..

  

Second layer on top of the key lime!

After the vanilla pudding.

 Add this crust to the outer edges & fill with vanilla frosting & continue recipe/ garnish & enjoy!!

Side Note : I used some powdered sugar on the top of the banana slices & almonds..totally optional!!

 

Wishing you all a happy & safe St. Paddy's Day!

Paige.Rose

 http://theblissfulbee.com/work-it-wednesday-no-89/

http://akadesign.ca/weekend-retreat-link-party-111/#comment-355794

http://lollyjane.com/creative-collection-group-link-party-40/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LollyJaneBlog+%28Lolly+Jane+Blog%29

http://www.joyinourhome.com/your-turn-to-shine-link-party-23/

{ A R H A U S...is AMAZING! }

This past weekend my husband & I traveled over to Ann Arbor for some shopping, exploring & lunch! For those who read my blog and are out out of state Ann Arbor is a charming  city home to all the University of Michigan fans & students!! "AA" is known for its charming unique feeling, shopping & great eats! We decided to go on a little day of exploring and found ourselves in a cute newer urban-ish plaza { Arbor Hills Crossing } ! We spotted some places we wanted to shop @ right away & then we spotted ARHAUS!! I knew as soon as I pulled in front of it I was going to be blown away by the lovely building design & architecture, but what was inside was soo much better! We walked through the front door & the huge two story windows flooded the first floor with bright spring sunshine hitting all the wonderful unique furniture pieces....#HAPPYPLACE!!

A R H A U S

 

Photo Credit : The Quaint Sanctuary

 

I loved this rustic glam goth inspired display!! The couch was so comfortable & the detail was gorgeous! 

 

This was on the second floor where I fell in love with pretty much everything including the building design & bathroom...Yes, even the bathroom was amazing!!

 

How cool & cozy does this rustic chic bed look!?

 

My favorite part of the entire store was the massive fireplace! It's the fireplace you always dream of having when you're older...or wait is that just me!? I loved the simple large rustic,yet traditional appeal!! 

 

The idea of a large bench like this for a table is so comfy & functional!! Think of how many quest you could have over & accommodate on the easy!!

 

One of my favorite things upstairs was this table, decor & the nifty bottle chandelier...I need that for-sure ;) !!

 

Big thanks to my darling husband for finding this place for us!!! It's such a unique store with so many displays to look at & gain inspiration for just about any taste! The first thing I thought was it was a Pottery Barn x 10!!  They offer over 50 stores & most of the items are handmade or made from recycled product! If you have the chance definitely stop in & admire all the goodies!

Paige.Rose