Things I love Thursday

I love our new house! So much room and storage and places to do things! Ahhh!

Tamara

Razorback Background–For Fangirls

Another Hogs background for the gal fans out there.

Enjoy!

 

~Much love,

Tamara

Wordless Wednesday : Fandom edition

Things I love Thursday : Arkansas Razorbacks

In Junior High we had to pick an extra curricular activity. I chose band. I loved being part of the band. In High School I decided to try out for the Color Guard in Marching Band. I loved it. Every single minute of it. The routines, the muscles I gained from spinning, the football games, the crowd, the true school spirit. Oh how I miss those days.

Ever since then I have loved football and school spirit. Admittedly, I can’t follow along with what is actually happening in the game as I am just recently learning what everything is and who all the players are and their job on the team. {Thanks Scott and Amber}

Since I graduated college and have moved out into the real world I really missed having a team to cheer for and to watch when football season came around. Luckily my state has a FANTASTIC college football team – The University of Arkansas Razorbacks! Razorback football is in a whole new dimension from what my college football was. The tailgating for a Hogs game is HUGE!

I’m working on making myself a game day dress {I’ll post instructions on that!} and in the mean time I decided it was time to make myself a desktop background. Everything I was finding online was plain, boring, blah. I’m a bit of a girly girl these days, who knew?! So I made some myself {Using Microsoft PowerPoint! No fancy software needed}, and I thought I’d share a few backgrounds each week to get everyone pumped about the games!

 

First Ones Up: Polka dots… oh how I love polka dots!

Download the zip file here.

You can download all 3 in a zip file from google docs.

{Disclaimer: I am not making any money from these backgrounds and no copyright infringement is intended. Chevron pattern used was obtained from Design House Digital, Polka Dot pattern used was obtained from Katie’s Wish blog}

ENJOY!

 

~Tamara

Things I love Thursday: Evernote

I first downloaded Evernote on my Android phone to keep track of those random things I came across online that I wanted to go back to (usually giveaways that I wanted to enter, one day I will win a Silhouette Cameo!). I remembered that you could get Evernote for your computer too and downloaded it onto my new laptop. I had been looking for a good way to keep track of my thoughts and ideas for the wedding and my Pinterest board is a bit over full (anybody else?) and I wanted to make my wedding master list and have everything there in WORDS and PHOTOS.

I can break things down into Notebooks and then Notes… so I have lists and then sub lists. Does anybody else get excited about sub lists like I do? I can break down things and think about them one tiny element at a time.

And I can do this from my laptop AND my phone and they sync together so I can work on a note tonight and then go off somewhere tomorrow with my phone and be able to pull it up and remember what I need or the look I’m going for.

I really think this will be a life saver for the wedding!

{edit btwn writing this and posting it: I also added another “notebook” and converted my massive craft to do list over to it. I had a 19 page list in categories in my purse for the last month. And now it’s in Evernote!}

Much list love to you all,

Tamara

Home Management Binders Inspiration

I’ve been pinning and pinning and pinning (no surprise there) and I have accumulated several pins on my Tips, Tricks, Cleaning & Organization board that involve Home Management Binders. I also noticed that several of my close girlfriends were also pinning them. So I thought I’d throw together a post on some binder inspiration.

I also want to go step by step and make one for my home. I’ve also asked a couple of my girl friends to help me out and make one too. We all have different styles and it will be fun to see how different they are!

This is a full printable set you can get from Crystal Wilkerson that goes into a mini size 3 ring binder. The colors are bright and fun. She also includes motivational quotes to put throughout as well. The set will run you $30-35 depending on which one you purchase. It can be purchased here.

The Nest Effect has several posts one by one on each section of her binder, you can purchase her set here for $45. Her binders are based on the Dave Ramsey method of debt repayment. Her sections include: Debt, Savings, Budget and Home Information.

Over on Twenty62 blog you can find another section by section posts on how she set hers up. She also gives you printable versions for FREE. Who doesn’t love free? Her sections include: Cover, Calendar, Contacts, Meal Planning, and Cleaning.

Another fabulous setup in a mini size binder from A Bowl Full of Lemons. She shows you how she set up all her tabs and such using a lot of Martha Stewart for Avery products. Her sections include: Monthly, Notes, To do, Menu planning, Budget, Blog, sponsors, ideas, giveaways, income, checklists, and School. She also uses color coding to help keep organized (I don’t know about you but Color Coding works wonders for me and my visual brain!

Over on Sprouting a Little Nostalgia she has a really big binder! Her sections include: birthdays, week at a glance, daily, new years resolutions, thoughtfulness planner, to do lists, long term to do, home balance sheet, blogging to do list, carpool to do, a “honey-dew” list, recipes, menu planner, grocery list, cleaning, faith, contacts, health, family night, infertility, important numbers (docs, etc), homeschool, fitness, baby sitters, home repair, business, goals, parenting goals, hobbies, college, pets, vehicles, parties, warranties, Christmas, family time, passwords, organizing, taxes, notes, and finally blogging. Told you it was a big one. She breaks down each section and what she has in it and even links to printables she used.

Over at Dawn at Home she doesn’t use a binder but instead uses a file crate with 52 folders with each week on them. She also staples paper to the front cover to use as her weekly planning sheet. I think this is an excellent idea too. You could put birthday cards into the week that they are in, have bills in the week. You just pull out the week you are in and work through them that way. She also sticks a month at a glance calendar in the front with a note pad. I think this is a great alternative to a binder! (especially if you are home schooling like she is). I also think this would be great to put memories from that week in to the file folders to scrapbook later (school projects, ticket stubs, photos, etc).

 

I hope these links and inspirations help you get motivated to make a Home Management binder for yourself. I will be back soon with ways to start out your binder, including recovering old binders, where to get the best prices on supplies, and ways to make your own tabs!

 

See you soon!

Tamara

Making your own ephemera for art journals

I’m not sure I’m using the right word here… ephemera… Essentially I'm going to show you how to make your own art or additions or elements for scrapbooking or art journaling. ((someone want to help me out with the word I’m looking for here?))

I wanted to make a small journal for all the quotes I love and have been pinning on my Pinterest that I wanted to have to display. I thought about making a small clip board and changing it everyday and then I remembered I have 12 empty half size spiral notebooks. And that would work perfectly for making a quote coffee table book.

I printed them all off into small sizes. I was trying to figure out a quick way to do this, after attempting to put them all into a PowerPoint and arrange them I realized that I just had too many. Then {LIGHT BULB} it hit me! Windows is smarter than I remember. And I’m going to show you how I made these:

First I went through all my quotes pinned and saved the photo files of my favorites. Check what type of quality they are, some of them I saved straight from Pinterest and others I clicked through to the website and saved from there. I saved them all in one separate folder to make this process faster.

Then you select all, right click on any photo, the third selection down is print:

Windows will pop up a photo print wizard. Select the printer you will be using (I tested as a pdf to see how the photos would look). Then scroll on the right hand side the size you want. I selected 3.5x5 to give me four per page. You can play around with all different sizes.

Notice how the preview shows the one in the lower left slightly cropped? That can be fixed by unchecking the box next to “fit picture to frame.”

That looks much better, doesn’t it? Then all you have to do is load up paper in your printer and print away. I used Cardstock for this but you could use anything you wanted.

Here is an example of how one page turned out for me. Then I got out my paper trimmer and set to work.

You could use this for your own journaling digital elements, photos in smaller formats for mini-albums, or for quotes in wallet size to keep with you at all times!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the artwork shown, for links to who does please see my Pinterest board. I am making no money from this tutorial or the finished album I am making.

 

Hope this helps you make some custom elements for your scrapbooks!

 

Much Love,

Tamara

Wordless wednesday

Site updates

New layout, new name, and new background. I really want someone to come in and spiffy the place up!

I'm full of ideas and I am working on ways to get them into reality.

I'm looking into resetting some tags.

And maybe a new laptop!

Still here, just busy

I have been so swamped. I owe my poor blog a big post on mom & my birthdays… and then another on Jexica’s wedding… and another on mom’s finally finalized divorce! Next up? The fourth of July, mine & Scott’s anniversary, then some ‘restful’ weeks… right… Life is never that nice!

I have been brainstorming a lot lately. I have some ideas I will share once I get them together, I can’t post before because I know the ones that it’s for will read this and I don’t want to ruin the surprise. But expect inspiration and tutorials on upcycling misc items. Think outside the box… heehee (you’ll get it later)

Then it’ll be baby prep time for Mrs. Lissa!!! Baby Teagan is going to be so spoilt!

~Tams

Wordless Wednesday

Things I love Thursday

I actually love being busy. I hate being bored, wasting time, and just generally doing nothing when I could be doing something. Don't get me wrong there are times when I want to do nothing and just veg on the sofa, those times come when I'm really busy.

I have been super busy as of late. I need a vacation! But in just 9 days Jessica is going to be married! And I'll have a lot more free time...

Maybe I can use that time to figure out what is wrong with my sewing machine!

~ Tamara

Pinterest found Tutorial Review

I found this great tutorial on Pinterest on an easier way to remove nail polish. Since I’ve been wearing a lot more of it lately I have had a hard time getting the nail polish off and still protecting my nails. This tutorial from gingerbreadmanne was so helpful. I did have to use a qtip for the edges but it was still better than what I was doing before, and my nails looked much better. I didn’t know going back and forth across the nail can make your nails peel.

Some tips from what I learned:

- Don’t put it in the cap like she does, mine had little pieces from the seal band and it caught the cotton dumping it over a couple times. {Side note: acetone will remove the painted finish from iron sinks…. oops}. I think I’m going to get out a glass shot glass and dedicate it for nail polish remover. REMEMBER: acetone will eat through most plastics!

-I am going to actually cut the cotton next time for a cleaner edge to sop up the remover easier.

-Don’t let it soak up too much remover, or when you go to squeeze the cotton off your nail you get acetone running all down your arm and all over the place. I think the cutting mentioned above will help eliminate this.

-She let hers sit on the nail for 1-2 minutes, I really only needed a good 45 seconds MAX after getting them all on the nail for it to take mine off. And I use a base coat, color, decoration, and then a top coat.

 

~Tamara

--This is the first post in a while without any photos! Crazy!

Summer Reading List

I have accumulated several books that I have had for a long time that I have yet to read, and they just keep piling up. So I’ve decided to do a summer reading list! I found these great printables {even tho I have far too many to fit on there} and they were my inspiration.

Source: Nicolesclasses.com

And this is my list so far, I know I have another box of books somewhere!

And I also picked up books 5,6,8, & 10 in the Janet Evanovich series. And the Vampire Armand by Anne Rice {free after picking up the others @ Savers, buy 4 get 1 free}.

I’m thinking that Sundays should be for reading? Maybe…

If you want to fan a great up and coming book club page then check THIS ONE out, it’s my friend Kristin and she always gives me great advice for books!  What are you reading this summer?

~Tamara

P.S. I’ll update soon on the awesome fun times of Jexica’s Lingerie shower and Bachelorette Party. Including a post on just the food I made!

Things I love Thursday

I'm posting inspiration I've found amongst the internet!

In order:
The shoes I want to wear when I get married! Love them!

Record side table diy via design sponge.

Hair idea for Jexica's wedding.

Another hair idea.

A great website to make you laugh : Disney gents from last night (also Disney ladies from last night)

Another hair idea (out of order but my phone won't let me change it)

Awesome tattoo placement, where I want some stars!

Ultimate gaming console! Epic.

Awesome idea for diy bookends! I'm doing this tonight.

A sweater from some random expensive website that I want to diy. Savers here I come!

((sorry this post is kind of a mess, I've been crazy busy with planning J's wedding! Three weeks! ))

~ Tamara

Wordless Wednesday... Err Thursday... Oops

Wordless Wednesday