Piggy Pouch

So it's MLK day and I am lucky enough to have the day to myself. I was supposed to go have lunch with my hubby but we decided to cancel because we have to meet up with some peeps from the church to talk about the youth program later on this evening. So I decided to instead surf the net for a bit and check out some of the craft blogs I've been missing out on lately and see if I could get a little crafty myself.

There is this really cool craft from Etsy Labs about fusing plastic shopping bags together to make reusable grocery totes, wallets, etc. Well I've been trying to use canvas totes for awhile to try and be more eco-friendly but I did manage to scrounge up several bags still lingering around from the old days. I even found one cute Piggly Wiggly bag so I decided to make a Piggy Pouch coupon holder.

Anyway, it's a super easy, super cheap craft project and it's definitely worth a try. Instructions for how to can be found in the Etsy Labs and all you need: plastic bags, thread, needle, button, parchment paper, iron and ironing board....oh and a course a bit of imagination. (Picture coming soon)

Going green...literally or how to spend a fun weekend with your hubbie

We are in desperate need for organization. Last year two messy people quickly merged their things, then quickly packed them in storage, then quickly moved into a new apartment, then got married. Basically leaving zero time for organization. So now two messy people are slowly working to get organized...well, one messy person is, the other messy person is watching a lot of the history channel. In any case: we are trying.

On the road to organization we happened to need a dresser and in an effort to be environmentally friendly, crafty and a little (maybe a LOT) adventurous, we decided to refurbish a thrifted dresser. Going into the hardware store we had our minds made up, only cherry red or black paint would do. Instead on a whim we decided to go with a cheap can of reject paint in an interesting army green meets olive tone.

After cleaning off the dresser and removing the drawers and hardware, we decided we wanted the dark original stain of the dresser to show through to make it look a bit distressed so we chose to only sand off the gloss. Beau and I took turns with a paint stripping level sandpaper. Once that was finished and the dust from sanding cleaned up; we set to work on the paint. Once again, we wanted the original color to show through so we used only about a coat and a half of paint. We let the entire thing dry for approximately 12 hours and reattached the old hardware. We'll find new stuff eventually but in the meantime the old antique gold hardware adds to the look.

In a little less than a day's work (with drying time)we had an eclectic, refurbished, slightly rustic dresser. Not bad for $25. Not to mention, we had a ton of fun reinventing the dresser. I suggest this activity to any newlywed couple looking for a fun weekend activity. Anyway, enjoy the pictures and yes...that is our little pup Frankie checking out the dresser in the before picture.

Welcome 2009!

At the beginning of 2009 I am:

Listening to: Grateful Dead (hubbie's choice)
Watching: Lifetime, yeah...I know
Reading: L. Hamilton (embarrassing secret but I read her before they got really weird and now I'm stuck trying to finish out the series)
Eating: Hoppin John soup that I created myself

My resolutions:
-Try to be a better wife (while we've only been married a few months, there is definitely some room for improvement)
-Working to be as positive as I expect others to be.
-Let my creative side fly.
-No more procrastination.
-Budget more.
-Get organized at home.
-Yoga...why not right? And start running again!