Me + This Desk = Awesomeness

I have been drooling over this desk for sometime now...

{Pottery Barn Porter Collector's Desk}

So beautiful.  So lovely.  And so perfect when I imagine it in our office.

The only mountain in the middle of the road is the $599 I would have to fork out to own this gorgeous desk.  OUCH.

So here I am, left with a few choices in this journey of taking this desk from dream to reality:

1. Find a look-a-like desk...I've found a few country-style kitchen tables that match up somewhat closely.

2. Search endlessly on Craigslist and Ebay until I find it second-hand.

3. Save up the $599 and just buy the dang thing.

What to do..What to do..What to do?

Photo-Shopping

Well, he did it again! It's just like him!

...being awesome, that is! :)

My amazing hubby went out and purchased this great software called Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for editing photos, and I'm absolutely loving what it can do.  It can really take a photo from ordinary to extraordinary with one click of the mouse! 

While I've only scratched the surface in learning what the program can do, I've been amazed at some of the transformations using only the presets.  Check out some of these before and afters...

Here's a picture from my Longwood Gardens trip in the spring...

Before

After

Cool, huh?  Here's a photo from the Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival...

Before

After

Family photo...notice we're ALL smiling. :)

Before

After

 More Longwood Gardens...it is seriously a gold mine for people who enjoy taking pictures...

Before

After

I love that "antique" look.  And next is a photo from our big bike ride across the state of Iowa.

The bolder color makes a huge difference...

Before

After

And there's a subtle difference in the next set of photos...because, let's get real, this little boy could not be any more adorable.... 

Before

After

So much fun!  I'm thinking Lightroom will take my photos to a whole new level...can't wait to see what else it can do!

A Peach a Day...

I've stumbled upon this great site called A Side of Peaches and thought YOU should know. :)

Each day this online store posts a great item for up to 90% off.  It could be anything from scarves to purses to jewelry. 

Today's deal...

Chunky Charm Necklace and Earring Set

How adorable is that?

And the price...$9.99 (regularly $35)

Also be sure to check out the sister store, Peachy Cheap, for some great deals on scrapbooking products and supplies.

Today's deal...

Fancy Pants Dancing Girl Kit

$14.99 (regularly $50)

Not crazy about these deals? Check the site tomorrow for another fabulous deal...there's a new one every day!

Have fun shopping! ;)

Spice Cabinet Makeover

Remember how I said I wanted my spice cabinet to look like this...

Well, now it really does! So similar, in fact, it's almost creepy. :)

Here's the after shot...

Here's the before shot...

Let me show you how to get this look (the "after", not the "before")...

Martha Stewart offers these fabulous labels for free on her website.  Get them here.

You can attach the labels one of two ways:

1. Print out the labels on regular printer paper, cut them out, and apply an adhesive to the back of them.  I used a scrapbooking adhesive.  See below.

2. Print them out on adhesive-backed paper that can be found at an office supply store.  Then, cut them out.

The spice jars came from IKEA. A 4 pack was only $2.99! What a steal!

Apply labels to jars.

While I was in Philly this past weekend, I went shopping at the coolest spice store in the Italian Market area called The Spice Corner.  This is hands-down the cheapest way to buy spices! They have every spice/herb you could think of and more.  I stocked up for the year and still have a ton of spices leftover. 



Street View of The Spice Corner, Google Maps



 Here's my loot...

And here's my updated spice cabinet...

Shutterfly's in my Stomach

Okay, not in my stomach, but at least in my brain. :)  And if you caught my mispelling in the blog post, good for you!...you are on top of it!  However, let me just break it to you now that it was on purpose. :)

Even though the hubby and I have had a lot of exciting adventures over the past 3 1/2 years of our marriage, we've never been ones to write a lengthy Christmas letter and print it out on pretty paper to send along with our Christmas cards (although I really enjoy reading everyone else's!).  I don't know what it is; not enough time, not feeling that I am witty enough to make it interesting, or just not interested in writing long articles (I'm an engineer, remember...I like to stick with short, to-the-point sentences).

Well, this year, I've stumbled upon some Christmas cards from Shutterfly that will help us share our stories through photographs (and maybe even a few words) and I'm absolutely LOVING them!  You can personalize each of them with your own photos and stories.

Note: The following are pictures from shutterfly.com and not of me and/or my family.  I don't want to give away which one we picked so I just used their examples. :)

Check these out...click on the title of the card to start personalizing!

Joy Sage Story Christmas Card

Front

Inside

Top Ten Moments Christmas Card

Family Wall Red Christmas Card

Family Memories Christmas Card

Hmmm....which one will we pick??  They're all so cute!

Want to see more Shutterfly Christmas cards? Click HERE.

Other ideas for Christmas....

Make a personalized calendar and have a year of wonderful memories to look at every day or make one for affordable gifts.  Click HERE for Shutterfly's Wall Calendars.

Or how about these sweet personalized gift tags!

Click HERE to see more Shutterfly Gift Tags.

ALL BLOGGERS SHOULD READ THIS: For writing this post about Shutterfly (which was not hard, because I really do love it!), I am getting 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly.  The good news is that you can too! Click on this link to learn how you can get your cards: http://bit.ly/sfly2010



Do the Tanga!

I will never again pay more than $5 for a magazine subscription after finding Tanga.com.  I've gotten Lucky Magazine, Women's Day, Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, and Shape Magazine for between $2-$5 each!  And for the hubby, I've scored ESPN Magazine, Outside, and Field & Stream for the same prices!  AWESOME!

Here's how to score a magazine deal:

1. Go to dealnews.com, get the coupon codes, and follow the links to Tanga.com

2. Check back every week if you don't see a magazine deal that interests you right now because they are always updating!

Magazine deals happening right now:

Tanga

• 1-Year Subscription to Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine for $4
• 1-Year Subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine for $4 
• 2-Year Subscription to Elle Magazine for $5
• 1-Year Subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine for $3
• 1-Year Subscription to Motorcyclist Magazine for $3
• 1-Year Subscription to Golf Digest Magazine for $4
• 1-Year Subscription to Fitness Magazine for $3
• More...

Other websites have some good deals on magazines as well (discountmags.com, magazinedealsnow.com, etc).  Some of those deals include:

• 1-Year Subscription to Men's Fitness Magazine for free (rewardsgold.com, after completing a short form)
• 1-Year Subscription to Bon Appetit Magazine for $5, Car and Driver for $4
• 2-Year Subscription to Rolling Stone Magazine for $10, 3 years for $15
• More...

A Laundry Oops

This past weekend my husband was doing the laundry and found this surprise.  Note: Gel pens are not meant to be washed :)

I'm only seeing this as a good thing, however, because now I MUST go shopping.  Oh, Darn! (sarcasm)

And while I'm at the outlets looking for new pants, it's very possible that some new boots make their way into my shopping bags as well.  :)

Here's what I'm thinking for possible selections:



Classic Khaki Pants, Gap, $49.50 (Hopefully cheaper at the outlet!)



Tweed Trousers, Old Navy, $39.50



Candie's Tall Boots, Kohls, $38.99



Aerosoles Ankle Boots, Kohls, $47.99



Pierre-Dumas Orchid-3, Piperlime.com, $59

 

Welcome!

I LOVE WEEKENDS. There's so much freedom, so much hope, so many possibilities! The weekend is a time when I get to indulge in my passions.

- family and friends

- travel

- new recipes (or old ones if I don't feel like experimenting)

- decorating

- shopping (yard sales and outlets are my specialty)

- organizing

- any form of relaxation

I'm excited to start this blog and share my ideas for fabulous weekend activities. Just thinking about it makes me anxious for the next weekend. Too bad it's only Monday!